Wave Of Return
by UzumakiGoddess
Summary: Goku gave Raditz a second chance, and little by little, Raditz took advantage of said chance and is now living his life to the fullest as a result. Now, Raditz learns that with love comes sacrifice and, unfortunately, you can't protect everyone. Great Saiyaman Arc - Buu Saga and maybe beyond. Credit for DBZ and the characters belong solely to Akira Toriyama. Cover image isn't mine.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: Chapter 1**

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A/U. This takes place like a month after chapter 105 (epilogue) from my story 'The Life of Raditz: Second Chances' as this is it's sequel.

Summary: Goku gave Raditz a second chance, and little by little, Raditz took advantage of said chance and is now living his life to the fullest. Now, Raditz learns that with love comes sacrifice and, unfortunately, you can't protect everyone. Great Saiyaman Arc - Buu Saga and maybe beyond.

Debated on posting this and getting into this, but seems like everyone was really looking forward to this. So...I caved. :)

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Chapter 1: Great Saiyaman...Blackmailed?!

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Lazuli's icy blue eyes fluttered open, vaguely noting that it felt as if she was being held down by something. It wasn't until she completely came to, however, that she realized that said something happened to be Raditz's arm.

Draped across her bare midsection, nonetheless.

Almost immediately, last nights _activity_ flooded her senses, an onslaught of images racing through her head as a result. Lazuli couldn't help but blush faintly at the memory. It wasn't until after the first three months that they were together, that they had begun to explore the more intimate side of their relationship - the first time having been the same day Goten had been born seven years ago oddly enough - and ever since then, they couldn't keep their hands off of each other.

Perhaps having two twin three-year old Saiyans was pure testament to that.

The blonde bombshell absentmindedly raised her pale hand to brush a few blonde strands out of her eyes, before gently moving to ease from beneath Raditz's arm. However, as if to say otherwise, Raditz's limp arm curled around her and pulled her in towards him instead.

18 cocked a blonde brow but didn't resist. "Oh?" The blonde bombshell relaxed into his hold, briefly flickering onto the alarm clock on their nightstand. "It's almost time to make breakfast."

Raditz peeked an eye open, lazily glancing at the clock. It was 9:00 in the morning, and the burly Saiyan found it hard to believe that so much time had passed since his early morning until crack-of-the-dawn training. It felt like he had just literally eased into the bed, after all. The large Saiyan was a living testament to the fact that some things never changed; he continued to stick to his rigorous training schedule: training alone until dawn, then with Piccolo, and then with Gohan and sometimes his kids and wife. Not to mention, incorporate his life as a bouncer into the schedule.

After all, he was taking care of _both_ his family and his younger brother's family for the past seven years and, though Raditz found it slightly challenging as compared to when he was just taking care of his brother's family - he still intended to uphold his promise; the Saiyan couldn't afford to slip up. Though, to be honest, he seemed to be doing a pretty good job thus far as Goten, Kakarot's youngest, was a healthy and strong seven while Gohan, the eldest child, was seventeen. The two half breed's were on the right track if he had to say so himself, Raditz mentally mused.

The Saiyan slipped out of his thoughts and back into reality upon feeling the bed dip slightly as Lazuli was getting up to go get breakfast ready for the twins. He cocked a brow, but nonetheless allowed her to get up this time. "Need a hand?"

"Not unless you want to keep me company while I cook?"

Raditz regarded his mate in silence for a moment. Perhaps to someone else she seemed wholly indifferent about the matter at hand, but the Saiyan had become somewhat of a master at reading all of her little quirks and the slightest changes in her face, and the way her lips twitched told him that he didn't really have a choice. Not that he'd have it any other way, of course. It was just amusing that she still had a rather roundabout way of getting him to do the things she wanted him to do. So, without further ado, he cracked a light smirk as he finally answered. "Give me a minute and I'll join you."

The blonde's lips eased into a small smile, seemingly satisfied with his answer before grasping her silk robe and tying it on effortlessly before heading out of their bedroom and into the kitchen. Raditz, on the other hand, whom had merely slid into the bed naked after training and showering, stretched his sore arms in silence before sliding out of their bed. In these past seven years, he mastered SSJ2 and SSJ3 later down on the road; however, SSJ3 was still newly acquired and he couldn't seem to maintain his SSJ3 state for long. The burly Saiyan couldn't help but wonder if Kakarot was having the same problems.

"Tch." Raditz mused out-loud. It was unlikely that Kakarot was having any problems. After all, once you let someone with that insatiable drive to be the strongest in the world get in ahead of you again, it was hard to get back in the lead. Granted, he and Kakarot haven't really been in contact these past seven years, but it was a intuition he had. It was as if no matter how far ahead he got, Kakarot was always a few steps atop of the game. It was almost like a game of cat and mouse. Raditz smirked, not at all discouraged. In fact, he couldn't help but feel spurred on and was looking forward to training with Piccolo later.

And definitely Gohan later on before work.

Unless of course the eldest brat planned on prancing around in that _thing_ again.

Raditz snorted, pulling out a pair of sweats and a shirt out of his nightstand and getting dressed. Though, he would never - _ever_ in his life - tell Chi-Chi face to face, he wholly blamed her. It was _her_ fault that the eldest brat was going around in that get-up and saving the citizens across town and beyond. Of course, it wasn't the part that he was saving citizens that bothered him, no - it was the _ridiculous_ poses and even ludicrous get-up that bothered him. Then again, Gohan was most likely making up for the childhood he didn't have much of growing up as his childhood consisted of 'fighting bad aliens' and relentless studying.

That very reason, along with the fact that he had a soft-spot for his eldest nephew, was why he didn't give Gohan too much hell over it. Anything Gohan or his family needed, he helped them with - even at the cost of a day or two or even a week of training if it took that. Just like when Gohan wanted help with convincing his mother to let him go to high-school, or how Goten came to him wailing about how Trunks had an 'awesome toy' and how his mother regrettably said 'she couldn't afford it'. Obviously, Raditz wasn't faulting Chi-Chi for being honest with the child as she was his mother and she probably had full awareness that Gohan and Goten's childhood was completely different - as Goten has an actual childhood at his age, while Gohan didn't at his age - and wanted to get him the things he wanted.

Chi-Chi just couldn't do it. And the burly Saiyan was sure that alone stirred more than regret within the small woman - as contrary to Bulma, Chi-Chi wasn't exactly rich.

Needless to say, it was Raditz that pulled a few extra shifts to get his youngest nephew that toy.

The Saiyan finally began trekking out of the bedroom, hands in his pockets as he trekked towards his cooking wife. Even to this day, he couldn't help but wonder what would've happened had he not taken the path his brother laid out for him. He wouldn't have what he had today - his family, his job, or anything for that matter - and the Saiyan swelled up with utter appreciation for his dead brother. Smoothly, the Saiyan strolled up behind his wife and placed his hands on her hips, as he couldn't help but appreciate her for a number of things as well he realized. "Thank you."

The blonde android cocked a smile, knowing the full depth behind those two simple words. She hummed her response, craning her head to the side to offer him a quick peck. He eagerly accepted the gesture, pulling away only to lean against the counter and observe her close-by. "Everything looks just about ready." He noted, closing his eyes as he enjoyed the mix of aromas flooding his saiyan senses.

18 nodded distractedly. "The kids should be trotting out any minute now."

Raditz nodded his agreement. The kids were on the other side of the kitchen, parallel to their bedroom and while Marise had his wife's old room before they got together, Taro had the room directly beside it. Initially, Taro's room had been 17's room but they opted to move 17's room further down past the curved hallway which was sealed off with a mere door that led to other rooms. It was the same design for either of the curved hallways, matter-of-fact. And as for the guest bedroom directly beside he and 18's bedroom, they merely left it as is. After all, some of Bulma's things were still in there.

"17 didn't come home last night."

Lazuli's words pulled Raditz out of his light stupor, the Saiyan able to detect the discreet concern laced in her words. "Maybe he was with Zangya?"

18 frowned at the mention of her name, but nonetheless responded coolly, "They broke up."

Despite the situation, Raditz couldn't help but smirk. "Surely that's not the problem as you never liked her in the first place." Though, if he had to be honest, he was curious as to why they broke up - even if he didn't voice it aloud. Sooner or later, however, he knew his wife would eventually tell him.

"True," Lazuli agreed, "but I can't help but wonder where he was to not have come home last night." And then after a forethought, she added on something else, "He usually always come back home the same day he leaves."

"I'm sure he's fine." Raditz assured. "You two are twins, and the both of you are pretty damn strong and able to hold your own. If anything, he probably just had too much fun - nothing serious."

Lazuli said nothing, seemingly in debate with the answer her husband gave her. Even after all of these years, she couldn't shake the protective nature she had for him. It wasn't as if she could help it. Not when they have been through so much together. And even if she wasn't older than him by much, she was still older; thus, it was the job of the oldest sibling to worry over the youngest sibling from time-to-time.

"Momma?"

The blonde snapped out of her thoughts, to see Marise, her look-a-like, trotting into the kitchen. Her brother, Taro, was behind her. Lazuli smiled at her two three-year old kids. "You two are just in time." Out of the corner of her eyes, Lazuli saw her husband setting up the table for them to eat and moved to plate everyone's dish with food. And as if remembering that Marise had called out to her, Lazuli trekked over to her and placed a hand on her head. "Did you need something?"

Marise didn't hesitate to respond. "After we finish, can we go invite Goten to play?"

Lazuli shrugged. "I'm sure Chi-Chi wouldn't mind, so I don't see why not."

Marise and Taro beamed at each other as they were more than content with their mother's answer and Raditz released a low chuckle, amused. The small family ate in comfortable silence, Raditz offering to wash the dishes afterwards. And as desired, the kids headed over to Chi-Chi's to invite Goten to play with them. Usually when Trunks was busy or Gohan was at school, Goten didn't mind and welcomed the twins eagerly. Sometimes they all went over to Trunks house to play, and while Lazuli was worried about how Vegeta would treat their kids at first, Raditz quickly assured her with a 'even Vegeta isn't that stupid.'

"Looks like we're alone for a bit." 18 stated more to herself than to her husband.

The Saiyan said nothing in response, continuing his work on the dishes as he acknowledged to himself that she was musing aloud. Though, it wouldn't be too much longer before a conversation bloomed. Nevertheless, he made sure he kept an ear out, aiming to finish up all of the dishes in the meantime. "Done." The Saiyan announced more to himself than anything, toweling his hands dry and turning around to face his quiet wife; she had been quiet for a while now that he thought about it. Maybe she was still worrying over her twin brother?

However, the wide-eyed Saiyan could see just why, "Lazuli?"

The blonde-haired woman stood bare, her silk robe at a pool around her ankles as she regarded the surprised male. Then, Raditz's surprise slowly faded away and was replaced with a smirk. He eagerly trekked towards his petite wife, pressing his lips against hers as he wrapped his arms around her waist. "Again?"

The blonde lips eased into a smirk matching his own, "I'm hoping this time you aren't too distracted."

The Saiyan rolled his eyes; however, even he had to admit she had a point. Since the twins were born, he was paranoid about the kids hearing them participate in such _activities_ and usually insisted it happened when the twins were asleep or outside playing around and distracted. It wasn't as if she had any complaints, but for her to bring it up suggested something Raditz couldn't put his finger on. Raditz decided to figure it out later, scooping his wife up in his arms and trekking towards their bedroom. If he had to guess, the kids would be playing until lunch time - which was plenty of time given that breakfast literally just ended.

"Wait," Lazuli murmured. "Out here."

The Saiyan paused, cocking a brow as he was literally in front of their bedroom already. "Are you sure?"

Lazuli smirked, and the Saiyan found himself unable to resist his wife's charm. Then, eyes widening, he pieced everything together, "Bored of the bedroom, huh?"

Lazuli nodded once, glad she didn't have to directly tell him. After all, the intimacy they shared was hands down amazing. It was just the fact that it was always in the bedroom, and she couldn't help but want a change of scenery, so to speak. Not to mention, that talking on the phone with Bulma, whom had no shame about sharing details about her intimacy with Vegeta, from time-to-time gave her the courage to want to experience something a tad different. Lazuli startled out of her thoughts upon feeling her husband's lips on hers, eagerly reciprocating.

It certainly didn't take long for the kiss to get heated, and the Saiyan couldn't help but distractedly wonder if she wanted him to change things up a bit himself as well. Though, the way her breathing was heavily labored and the small moans she was releasing made him rethink that notion. _Almost._ "Lazuli." Raditz called out lowly, pulling back just to nip at her neck playfully. He had an idea.

The blonde peeked an eye open, her mouth slightly parted as a moan slipped past. "Hm?"

Raditz set his wife down, her legs no longer around his waist, as he simultaneously continued to nip at her body. "Turn around."

Lazuli's eyes widened at the command, "...turn around?"

"You want something different, right? Trust me."

A faint blush on her cheeks, she did as ordered despite it being completely unfamiliar. "Like this?"

Raditz pulled back a bit and Lazuli heard him rustle around a bit. Just as she was about to turn her head around out of curiosity, she felt her husband's hands guide her hips back some, "Hands on the wall," he murmured. The Saiyan was pleased when she did as he told her to do, placing a hand in the middle of her back and arching it to his liking.

Lazuli, on the other hand, felt her heart pounding against her rib cage and was wholly overcome by anticipation. When she had revealed to her husband that she wanted a change of scenery, she wasn't expecting him to take it even beyond and change from their usual missionary position as well. The blonde shuddered at the feeling of warm lips pressing against her lower back, trailing up tortuously. The bombshell couldn't help but moan at the new experience, moaning even louder when she felt Raditz hands suddenly pin her wrists against the wall before easing into her in one fluid motion.

Lazuli all but gasped at the foreign yet breathtaking sensation, moaning loudly as the Saiyan picked up his pacing and was roughly thrusting into her womanhood from behind. Eyes clenched shut, Lazuli was in a world of her own as they continued their lovemaking against the wall beside their bedroom. Raditz released grunts here and there, noting that his wife was far more responsive in this position than in their usual position. He smirked, his wife loud cries spurring him on more than she could ever know.

He decided he wanted to hear more, uncurling his tail around his waist and brushing it against her clit. The very action alone earned him a loud cry from his wife and he repeated it again, " _Ah!"_ She cried again, toes curling amidst the pleasure he was providing.

And again, he repeated the action.

It wasn't too much longer before he was continuously brushing his tail against her clit and ultimately pushing her over the edge. The blonde's body froze, before violently shaking as she climaxed against her husband. Her small frame went limp, but Raditz leaned forwards and pressed a kiss against her ear, "Stay with me. Almost there."

And true to his word, Raditz soon followed after her a few more thrusts later, his body stiffening with one final thrust as he released his seed into her with a grunt. The Saiyan exhaled a sigh, pulling out of his wife and pulling up his sweatpants. Lazily, as he didn't feel like retrieving her silk robe, he took off his shirt and draped it across her.

"How was that?" He inquired after a few moments of silence.

The sweaty blonde found the strength to turn around, sending him a small smile as his arms remained wrapped around her. "I loved it."

"I was hoping that was the case, given you climaxed in pretty much an instant."

Raditz chuckled at his wife's wide-eyed expression and Lazuli rolled her eyes as she recovered pretty quickly. "Idiot."

The Saiyan brushed off the insult with another chuckle, "Wanna shower together and head over to Chi's?"

"Sure."

And so, the couple did just that, showering and heading over to Chi-Chi's place. On the way there, the couple noted that the kids were still happily playing together and made their way inside in no time, Raditz trekking in behind his wife. "Chi?" The blonde android called out slowly, her icy blue eyes peeking around in the kitchen area.

No sign of her.

"She's outside in the garden." A male voice provided.

The couple snapped their eyes over onto the source only to see a teenage Gohan smiling sheepishly as he remained clad in his Saiyaman get-up. The blonde-haired woman cocked a blonde brow, a hand resting on her hip. "I thought school didn't get out until the afternoon? You've only been going for a month and you're cutting already?"

Gohan chuckled nervously, "Er, Auntie...it's not like that at all! I promise!"

The blonde narrowed her eyes, skeptic, and the teen caved instantly. "As you know...I've been fighting crime and protecting every citizen in need as the Gold Fighter; however, there's this girl that fights crime too and she's been onto me about my identity from day one...even after coming up with this Great Saiyaman get-up with Bulma." The teenaged boy explained. "Her name's Videl and she's really strong and all, but - " Gohan released an exasperated sigh - " man, she sure is persistent!"

Raditz and 18 shared a look; nonetheless, they listened as the eldest of Chi-Chi continued. "Well, let's just say that she knows about my dad and linked together that I'm the Great Saiyaman and is...blackmailing me _and_ making me enter an upcoming tournament."

The blonde's eyes widened. "There's an tournament coming up?"

Gohan nodded once, "And given the situation Videl has put me in, I've been going around and informing the others and decided to see how mom felt about it. I just haven't worked up the courage to ask her just yet." He revealed sheepishly. "I was actually going to ask you guys to join after I talked to mom about it...but you guys are already here."

"What's the reward?" Lazuli inquired curiously.

Gohan pursed his lips slightly. "Hmm, I think it's 500,000 zeni. It could be more than that; I'll have to ask Videl."

The blonde's eyes widened. "We should enter."

Raditz rolled his eyes. "The kid's getting blackmailed and you want to enter in the tournament?"

18 shrugged. "We could use the money."

"Anyway," Raditz began, diverting his attention back onto his nephew, "Just who is this Videl anyway and what else does she want from you?"

"She's the daughter of Hercule Satan and she wants me to teach her how to fly and - "

" - Wait a minute." Raditz interrupted incredulously, "you're talking about the Hercule Satan that swears he's the World Champion and had the audacity to enter the Cell Games with those other goons that follow him?"

Gohan nodded sheepishly, "That's him alright. He even took credit for defeating Cell; however, unlike him, his daughter Videl is the real deal. Besides, I really don't want everyone finding out I'm a Saiyan at school; I don't want that kind of attention there."

"Is this Hercule Satan entering the tournament?" 18 inquired curiously, having pieced together a few things; however, she wanted to be sure.

Gohan nodded. "Yup."

That was all 18 needed to hear. "Well, I'm definitely entering the tournament. I'll make sure I match up with Hercule and then I'll blackmail _him_ for more money if he wants to remain the World Champion, that is."

Gohan paled slightly. "Auntie? Don't you think that's a bit cruel?"

"Far from it." She answered stoically.

Chi-Chi, whom caught the gist of the situation, chuckled femininely. "That sounds like something you'd do, 18." Then before 18 could respond, Chi-Chi diverted her eyes onto her eldest son, "I know I'm not too supportive of things like these, usually...but we could really use that money."

Raditz said nothing, but could easily tell that it was far more to it that that. These past seven years he couldn't help but notice a change in the raven-haired woman, and if he wasn't mistaken, she was easing up considerably. Chi-Chi wasn't as overbearing as she was in the past, and sure, she had her reasons of which she explained to him during the whole Androids ordeal, but this was one thing he could honestly say he didn't see coming. Has Kakarot's death and Goten's birth really changed her that much?

Not to mention she was far more lenient with Goten than she was with Gohan at his age. When Goten had been born, he had been sure that Goten was going to have a similar fate to Gohan - as far as continuously studying and being forced to become a scholar - but he had been wrong.

"...Raditz?"

The burly Saiyan snapped out of his thoughts upon hearing his name, an eyebrow cocked in curiosity. Chi-Chi sent him a weird look, but then quickly recovered. "I asked if you were entering the tournament, too?"

And just as the Saiyan opened his mouth, 18 all but cut in, "He's entering."

The male Saiyan cocked a brow at his wife. "I am?"

The blonde sent him an annoyed look, "Well, why wouldn't you?"

Raditz actually had a multitude of reasons as to why he wouldn't enter, but he smartly refrained from saying anything. "Tch."

"Gohan!" Goten had all but fallen over himself in an attempt to get to his big brother. It was as if he couldn't get through the door fast enough. He had merely been coming back to the house to get something to drink, his three year old cousins behind him, and couldn't help but overhear the tail-end of the conversation. "There's a tournament? Can I enter too?" His big black eyes shifting on to his mother as if realizing that she was the one he should be asking, not his brother. "Can I, mom? Can I? I'm pretty sure Trunks will enter and if that's the case, I don't want to be left out!"

Chi-Chi regarded her son in silence for a moment, before sighing. How could she tell him no when she looked _exactly_ like his father? That alone made it hard not to give in to whatever it was he wanted. The raven-haired woman sent him a light smile, ultimately caving; though, it wasn't as if she stood a chance in the first place. "Alright, Goten, but I expect both you and Trunks to be on your best behavior at the tournament!"

Goten's eyes all but lit up at his mother's answer. "Of course! I promise we will!"

Chi-Chi nodded once. "Good."

And while Goten proceeded on with asking his brother if he could train with him for the upcoming tournament, the two twins shared a look. They couldn't help but feel left out, after all. With this in mind, they both turned to face their parents. "Mama? Papa?"

Raditz regrettably shook his head 'no' while 18 bent over and placed a hand on either of their heads to further explain. "You two are most likely too young to enter." The twins visibly pouted, and the blonde sent them a light smile. "You can cheer your father and I on instead for now, okay?"

Though still feeling slightly dejected, the twins seemed to feel somewhat better as they both agreed.

Gohan offered the two a small smile. He couldn't help but feel bad for the two twins. "Still, you two are welcome to join Goten and I tomorrow if you want."

Marise looked up at her mother expectantly, "Is that okay?"

"Yeah, momma," Taro pitched in, "is it?"

"Of course." She agreed. "Just don't get too dirty."

Satisfied, the twins and Goten ran back outside to play, seemingly have forgotten what it was they came inside the house for in the first place. Gohan chuckled. "They sure do grow up fast, don't they, Uncle Raditz?"

The burly Saiyan cocked a brow, "As if you're one to talk. You grew up before I even realized it."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Chapter 2**

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A/N: Not sure if I'm going to do a whole lot of multiple perspectives again like I did with with prequel, but I will dip into a _few_ other characters plus... I do love some Bulma/Vegeta. It's my favorite pairing in DBZ. Also, things are going to be different as I'm doing this mostly from memory. Ah, and yes I'm following/watching DB Super.

Thanks for all of the support and love!

To answer a few questions from **coldblue:** Real life is definitely tiring, but keep up the good work! And I don't really plan on changing _too_ much in the beginning...so as far as Videl having more of a edge, I'm not sure. And Gohan and Piccolo have been training with Raditz still, so they've definitely increased. 17 and 18 aren't really training as much as everyone else, honestly, and I know it's been a while for all of us since I kinda went M.I.A after the prequel but Raditz has his tail back. And as of this moment, I don't have any plans of drama between 17/Zangya. Ah, I think that answered most of your questions. But truthfully, I plan on really challenging Raditz as a character and putting him through some _hell_ throughout the Buu Saga. Can say that much, at least.

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Chapter 2: The Art of Flying

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Videl released a sigh of frustration at the male in front of her. What exactly was he referring to when he said that every living being had energy with in them? As far as she was aware of, everything was composed of atoms and so forth. Or rather, what Videl was really trying to say was that Gohan's instructions were literally defying the laws of everything she has learned in school. Thus, how could a human, or any creature for that matter, _'pull'_ energy out of their body?

The purple-eyed teen crossed her arms over her chest. She was beginning to get impatient. After all, she came here to learn how to _fly_ \- not, to get the runaround. Did he forget that she was onto him about everything?

Gohan scratched his head sheepishly. He could tell Videl was getting impatient, but there really wasn't any other way for him to explain it. At least, not in a way that Videl would understand. In addition, just saying anything to Videl was hard as she tended to take what he said the wrong way for the most part. It was almost as if she pounced on every little thing he said. "Er...I don't know what to say. In a nutshell, every life form has energy and it's possible to manipulate said energy in different ways."

Goten cocked a head to the side, lifting up an arm and firing out a ki blast towards a nearby boulder with a hand. In a mere instant, the youngest of Goku had destroyed it rather easily. "It's just like this!" He explained, thinking that maybe a demonstration would help her out a bit. That helped him out sometimes when Trunks talked about things he didn't understand.

What the seven-year old wasn't counting on was for Videl to blink owlishly at the action; it was almost as if she hadn't seen something like that before. Goten and Gohan frowned, sharing a look of confusion; however, Gohan was first to break the silence. "Videl? What Goten just showed you is pretty much an example of manipulating energy...except in your case, we're just trying to get you to manipulate it to the soles of your feet so you can fly."

"To the soles of my feet?" She repeated slowly, her black brows furrowing slightly.

"Yes." Gohan replied with a nod. The short-haired Saiyan was clad in a dark blue gi with a red sash and though today he was supposed to be training with his younger brother and his cousins for the upcoming tournament, he hadn't really banked on Videl coming by literally the next day to learn how to fly. Of course, it wasn't as if it was a problem or anything; after all, that was their agreement among other things, of course. It had just been rather sudden in his opinion. Heck, he hadn't even given her his address yet and she found him all on her own.

The demi-Saiyan regarded his younger brother and his two cousins out the corner of his eyes. Perhaps he should encourage them to go do something elsewhere? At this rate, things looked as if they could take a while and he doubt three kids would have the patience to wait around while he tried to teach someone else how to fly. Though, as fate would have it, Goten took the words right out of his mouth, a small frown on his face. "Say, Gohan, this looks like it could take a pretty long time. Can you catch up with us later? I wanna go play."

Gohan didn't miss the low growl that slipped past Videl's lips as she was most likely insulted. Nevertheless, Gohan sent his younger sibling a smile. "Sure thing, sport. You guys go right ahead, and I'll join you guys later."

"Okay!" Goten agreed, sending a grin to his twin cousins and informing them of a 'really cool' place he discovered the other day. He offered to show it to them, and they eagerly complied, taking off to the skies behind the tiny Goku look-a-like.

"Now then," Gohan began, deciding to sit down on the ground. "What exactly do you guys call energy? Maybe our terms are different?"

Videl still seemed taken aback, but nevertheless sat down across from the teenage boy, crossing her legs Indian-style. "It's not a...trick?"

Gohan blinked a few times, before allowing a slow smile to spread across his features. "Er...no, what Goten did was very much real." And as if to further prove that energy did exist, the Saiyan cupped his hands together and placed them in front of either of them, so she could see better. "Here. Let's start off with something a tad smaller."

And having said that, Gohan easily called forth a ball of yellow energy in the center of his cupped hands. Given his background and how he was raised, it was an effortless action. He was sure that if Videl worked hard at it she would be able to produce the same ball of energy and eventually fly. He had faith in her. After all, she was very strong-willed, and she didn't seem like the type to give in easily.

Videl, on the other hand, was in utter awe of the tiny yellow orb in the center of Gohan's hands. It was just as he said; thus, with such tangible proof, there was no way this could be a trick. If that was the case, then she really did have this energy within her that Gohan was referring to. But could she produce the same results? Videl pulled back some, not having realized she had leaned in pretty close to Gohan in order to get a better look, and exhaled noticeably. Maybe if she relaxed a bit, it'd be slightly easier.

So, closing her purple eyes, Videl sought to feel out this 'energy' that she was supposed to have inside of her. And just as Gohan did, she tried to call it forth in the center of her hands, but it to no avail. Unlike with Gohan, nothing came forth. No matter how hard she pushed for it to do so. Videl's shoulders sagged in utter disappointment and her black brows furrowed together as she fought to keep her faltering composure.

"Hey," Gohan addressed gently, "how about you try relaxing a bit more?"

To be honest, Gohan was half-scared Videl would snap on him again, but to his surprise she merely sighed and nodded. Gohan frowned, he could tell that she was getting more and more frustrated by the minute and they really haven't been at this for long. Though, he did feel slightly bad for her; he could tell that she really wanted this to work. He was really trying to break things down for her and unfortunately, he couldn't simplify things any further. He had did what he could by telling her and showing her the basics, now it was up to her to actually pull it out.

So, as their lesson continued and time continued to indiscriminately pass by, Gohan quietly watched from his position as Videl continuously tried to bring forth her own energy. Here and there, he'd give her advice about a few things, just so she didn't feel alone or feel bad, and then he'd go back to patiently watching her in silence.

"Gohan," Chi-Chi called out slowly, trekking out of the house and towards her teenaged son. "Lunch is just about ready. Why don't you go grab Goten and the twins and - " Chi-Chi halted mid-sentence, her head cocked to the side as she took in the pig-tailed female in front of her son. She blinked a few times, taking the petite woman in with her eyes in silence.

And almost as if reading her thoughts - or perhaps the expression on her face - Gohan quickly shot up, laughing sheepishly as he scratched the back of his head. "Uh, Mom? This is Videl Satan. She's Hercule's daughter."

The raven-haired woman cocked a brow, watching as Videl scrambled up to her feet. "Oh?" Chi-Chi inquired, mentally flashing back to yesterday's conversation with Raditz and 18. If her memory served her correctly, then Hercule Satan was the famed World Champion and 18's future victim - as the blonde intended on blackmailing him. Chi-Chi was out of her thoughts and back onto the matter at hand in a matter of seconds, her black eyes narrowing in suspicion. "And just what is it you want from my Gohan?"

Videl looked taken aback, her purple eyes widening. " _What?"_

Gohan, on the other hand, face palmed. The half-Saiyan couldn't help but pray that someone quickly intervened. This was literally the last thing he wanted to happen - a confrontation between his mother and Videl. He released an exasperated sigh. "Mom, Videl goes to my school; she's in my class."

Chi-Chi harrumphed loudly, a hand on her waist as she took in the purple-haired female. She wouldn't be fooled. Not by the likes of her. She wouldn't tolerate anyone hurting either of her sons. After all, they both took after their father and were rather naive and had big hearts. No, that wasn't necessarily a bad thing, but she refused to allow _anyone_ to take advantage of her kids. And that was exactly what Videl was trying to do.

Chi-Chi's eyes narrowed further.

Thankfully, Goten and the twins were more than aware that it was lunch time and were eagerly touching down from the blue skies to get ready to eat. Gohan couldn't be happier for the intervention. As for Chi-Chi, her features eased up considerably at the sight of the kids, reminding them to wash their hands before they sat down at the table. With a small smile and Videl seemingly forgotten, Chi-Chi followed the little ones into the house.

Once they were alone, Videl released a huff of annoyance, arms folded across her chest. "She totally hates me."

Gohan shot Videl an incredulous look, though he could understand why she may have gotten that idea. Even so, his mother wasn't the type to hate anyone. She had just a big heart as his father - even if she was a bit more rough around the edges. "It's not that," he quickly reassured, "just give her some time and she'll come around." Gohan promised easily.

Videl couldn't help but note that Gohan seemed thoroughly sure of himself and sighed, her tense shoulders dropping and resting at ease. His mother probably thought she was some rich hussy that was trying to take advantage of her son. Well, it wasn't too far from the truth if she had to be honest, but she wasn't planning on hurting him - even if she did blackmail him into a few corners and give him a hard time. She wasn't taking advantage of him for the wrong reasons. At least not in her eyes. Besides, just why did it bother her that much anyway? So what if Gohan's mom thought she was something she wasn't, right?

"Er, Videl?" Gohan called out curiously. She had appeared to be in deep thought, and Gohan had debated on whether or not he should say anything or not. In the end, he did decide on saying something. Once he had her attention, he continued, "Do you want to take a break and continue later on?"

"Sure," Videl mumbled out distractedly. "There's a new burger joint in city. Mind if we go there for lunch?"

Gohan looked slightly surprised, but seemed to understand immediately. "Sure. Let me just tell my mom we're heading out, 'Kay?"

~ 0 ~

Meanwhile, a certain blonde elsewhere found her nose scrunching up in distaste at the blue-haired woman before her. For a moment, 18 couldn't help but wonder why her and the blue-haired woman were friends in the first place, but quickly pushed the thought aside. No matter how vulgar she was, Bulma did play a role in her finding her twin brother and play a role in her and Raditz getting together, after all. But still, was this seriously the reason why Bulma invited her over? To get details about her and Raditz's intimacy?

"Just because you have no problem sharing what you and Vegeta do, doesn't mean that I don't."

Bulma visibly pouted. "Aw, come on, 18! Don't be like that." And then the female scientist was moving her eyebrows suggestively as she smiled sneakily. "After all, he did give you twins on your first pregnancy."

18 rolled her eyes, ignoring Bulma's implication. "Twins run in the family, or did you forget that I have a twin brother?"

Bulma clicked her tongue, obviously disappointed in the blonde sitting across from her. "You're no fun sometimes."

18 didn't bother responding, her arms idly resting across her chest. Bulma, however, wasn't offended by the sudden silence. She was just glad to have actual company for once since what felt like forever. For the most part, Vegeta just trained with Tarble and if Tarble wasn't home, Tarble was hanging out with Ranfan. Sometimes, she'd even force her son to hang out with her if he wasn't busy playing with Goten or having the misfortune of training with Vegeta whom took a sudden interest in training their son because of the upcoming tournament.

Bulma's eyes widened as if recalling something.

"Say," the bluenette began, "is Raditz going to train Goten?"

The blonde shook her head 'no'. "Goten's going to be training with his brother for the tournament. Why do you ask?"

"Because I just realized _why_ Vegeta's training Trunks for the tournament. Looks like his silly rivalry is extending down a generation if you know what I mean. Well, at least to Vegeta that is."

The blonde snorted. She wasn't surprised. "Figures."

"Tell me about it," Bulma mumbled aloud, swallowing the last of the coffee before her. The bluenette rose to her feet, collecting her empty coffee mug. "Do you want more coffee, 18?"

"No, thanks." 18 declined politely, gently nudging her coffee mug towards Bulma for her take back with her to the kitchen. The blonde watched as Bulma disappeared into the kitchen, her tiny ears picking up on the sound of Bulma laying the mugs down in the sink. It wasn't even a minute later when Bulma came trotting back out of the kitchen, a genuine smile on her pale features, "What do you say we go shopping for a bit?"

18 smiled back, "Sounds fun."

After all, it has been a while since she went out shopping. Now, the blonde actually had something to look forward to. So, without further ado, the duo headed out to do just that.

~0~

"Vegeta," Tarble called out timidly, "don't you think you're being too hard on Trunks?"

A Super Saiyan Vegeta diverted his teal eyes onto his youngest brother, a scowl on his features. "150 times gravity is not that big a deal. The boy can handle it, can't you, son?"

The purple-haired boy clenched his eyes shut as he fought to train in the intense gravity setting let alone move. It literally felt as if he had shackles on all of his limbs. Not to mention, that he was already covered in sweat and he barely moved a muscle. They've been at this for what felt like forever and he much rather be at Goten's house; however, he knew better than to say that aloud. "Uh-huh."

Tarble frowned as he wasn't too fond of his older brother's methods. Heck, he knew first hand that Vegeta didn't have the best methods when it came to hardly anything especially since he had deliberated angered him so that he could become a Super Saiyan years back.

 _"I guess I was a fool to expect anything out of you."_

 _Tarble's eyes lowered as Vegeta's words hit him harder than any punch. He was really trying his best here. He really was. At the end of the day, wasn't that enough? The young male released a sigh, unable to meet his brother's harsh gaze. Vegeta was standing tall and proud, unlike him, and had completely mastered the gravity setting with ease. But why couldn't Vegeta understand that he just wasn't like him? They were siblings, yes, but they were two different people. Plus, Vegeta has been training for years and had way more experience than Tarble could ever hope to have._

 _Vegeta snorted. "I can just see the excuses filling up your head; It's pathetic."_

 _Tarble's eyes widening. "Nii-san, I'm not a warrior like you. I'm - "_

 _" - Oh I know." Vegeta interrupted with a taunting smirk. "I wasn't the one sent off to another planet as a child because I was a weakling. It was you. And while you were off living your miserable life to the fullest, our mother had been killed by Frieza."_

 _Tarble's eyes widened. "I thought out mother died after giving birth to me."_

 _Vegeta laughed bitterly, tossing his head back in the process. "I bet you also thought that Planet Vegeta was destroyed by an asteroid as well." Vegeta's eyes narrowed. "Well, it wasn't. It was destroyed by Frieza himself."_

 _Tarble shook his head in disbelief, utter shock across his features. "...What? That can't be. Didn't the Saiyan race do everything in their power to give Frieza what he wanted?"_

 _Vegeta snorted. "Fool. As if that did anything."_

 _"But...Vegeta - " Tarble felt his eyes well up with tears, his small frame wracking with the silent tears streaming down his face. He couldn't believe it. Had everything he known up to now...all been a lie? His mother's death...and the death of his race? What else didn't he know due to being weak? The small Saiyan literally felt as if his whole world had been shaken up and was overcome by helplessness and self-hatred towards himself. Angrily, the Saiyan released a battle cry as he slammed his fist into the side of the gravity machine in pure anger, blinded by rage and the harsh truth Vegeta had revealed to him._

 _"Fool!" Vegeta suddenly yelled out, "You destroyed the blasted machine! I hate going to that blasted woman about fixing it!"_

 _Tarble snapped out of it at the sound of Vegeta's voice and cast a look behind him. It was just as he said, the machine was obliterated. The male blinked owlishly. "I did that?"_

 _Vegeta smirked, crossing his arms over his chest. "Why don't you take a look at yourself?"_

 _The surprised male looked down only to see a yellow aura enveloping him and audibly gaped at the sight. He...transformed? He was actually a Super Saiyan now. However, the younger male couldn't help but feel mixed feelings as this was not the way he'd imagine he'd ever obtain such power._

 _"Now, then," Vegeta began eagerly, "What do you say we test out your new power?"_

Needless to say, Tarble didn't talk to Vegeta for two weeks after that whole ordeal. As much as it pained him to do such a thing to his older brother, Vegeta had done something far worse to him and Tarble just couldn't find it within himself to forgive him at the time. Naturally, he did forgive him eventually, he just hoped he wouldn't go to such lengths with Trunks.

"Is that the best you can do?" Vegeta called out to his son, eyes narrowed. And when Trunks said nothing in response, the flame-haired Saiyan released an annoyed sigh. "Fine. How about I make you a deal? You land _one_ punch on me and I'll even take you to park."

Trunks's eyes lit up in excitement. "Really, dad? You really mean it?"

"Sure." Vegeta agreed with a smirk. It seems that he had said just the right words to get his son to actually put forth some effort. At this rate, he'd surpassed Goten for sure.

"Alright!" Trunks cheered, "If that's the case, I'll just go Super!" And having said that, the small eight year old did just that, failing to take note of his father's and uncle's gaping faces. Vegeta, however, quickly recovered, watching as his son lunged for him and threw out a volley of fast punches. Now, the boy seemed to be moving under the 150 times gravity with ease. At the same time, the Saiyan prince couldn't help but wonder how the hell Trunks can go Super Saiyan at the mere age of 8. He didn't contain nearly this much power at his age.

"Trunks." Vegeta called out expressionless, easily fending off his son's attacks in the process. "Can Kakarot's youngest go Super Saiyan, too?"

Trunks nodded once. "Yup! We both can."

"I see." Vegeta replied with narrowed eyes. "Well then, I'm assuming that you're the strongest out of - "

Trunks had managed to land a punch on his father before Vegeta could get his words out. Trunks's eyes widened in surprise, a slow smile spreading across his features as he realized that his father would be taking him to the park. That was, until, he found himself on his back before he could fully process his achievement with an 'oopfh!'.

"Vegeta!" Tarble exclaimed in shock.

Trunks released a pained groan as he clutched his throbbing face, tears threatening to fall at any minute now. "You...hit me back?"

The shocked Prince quickly got hold of himself, "Shut up, Tarble!" Then he diverted his attention back onto his son, eyes narrowing, "Tch! I didn't make any promises not to, now did I? Just get dressed already, so we can go the park!"

Tarble released a sigh, running a hand through his head. He was visibly stressed. "If Bulma-san finds out about this, then we're all - "

Vegeta's eyes snapped onto his younger brother, " - You will not breathe a word of this to the woman!" He snapped hurriedly. After all, her mouth was the last thing he wanted to deal with. She was so insufferable and so loud some damn times.

~0~

18 hurriedly took off to the skies, berating herself for losing track of time. She had been shopping with Bulma still and what felt like only forty minutes, was actually four hours. She released a curse, tightening her hold on the many bags in her hands. Sure, it had been full while it lasted, but she had two kids and Chi-Chi had two kids of her own and it was selfish to expect Chi-Chi to watch the kids for long. Not to mention, that she didn't even see her husband off for work. He was going to be gone all night after all, and wouldn't return until nearly three in the morning. And even then, the first thing he did when he got off was head straight to the gravity machine until dawn.

The blonde android frowned even more if possible, absentmindedly picking up her pace. It wasn't until she finally saw her home come into sight that her racing thoughts came to a halt, touching down on the lawn with a grace only she could provide. Even at her distance, it wasn't hard to see that Chi-Chi's house lights were off which most likely meant that they were all in bed. It wasn't usual for Chi-Chi to go bed by 10 or sometimes even earlier depending on the type of day.

However, it had finally dawned on 18 that she couldn't feel her children's ki from the raven-haired woman's house at all. All but confused, the blonde made the short trek towards her home instead, unlocking the door and entering in silence. Her icy blue eyes quickly scanned around, noting that, contrary to Chi-Chi's place, some light was on at least.

From the TV.

18's eyes widened upon seeing an all too familiar form. "You're back."

Seventeen didn't bother turning his attention onto his sister, his eyes lazily glued to the TV. At his side, were the two twins wrapped in blankets on either of his side. They were snoring lightly and though it seemed as if they had chocolate all around their tiny mouths, they were perfectly fine. 18 cocked a brow, and her twin brother was quick to explain. "They had dinner and bathed at Chi-Chi's about an hour ago and when I got home and saw that you weren't here, I took them off her hands and gave them some ice cream you had in the freezer and put on a movie."

"As you can see," 17 gestured to the twins with either of his hands, "they're fast asleep now."

18 sat her things down atop of the other couch, her shoulders dropping in relief. "Thanks."

The black-haired male nodded once, his icy eyes diverting onto his twin and taking in her countless bags in utter boredom. "Should've figured you were shopping, though. You've always had that habit for as long as I could remember. Though it looks as if Raditz made that habit worse by spoiling you."

The blonde cut her eyes at her twin. "Oh, hush, 17. You're the last person I want to hear about _habits_ from. Were you out all night gambling last night? Is that why you didn't come home?"

"Pretty much." He answered with a shrug. Then, he sent her a knowing smirk seconds later. "Were you worried about me?"

"As if." 18 brushed off smoothly, trekking towards the couch her twin was on and scooping up Marise. Her icy blue eyes softened as she took her small child, grasping a nearby paper-towel and gently wiping at her mouth with it before laying her down in her own bed and closing the door. The bombshell did the same for Taro afterwards, plopping down beside her twin after she was finished.

"So I heard from Gohan that there's a tournament coming up. I take it you're entering?" It was a question that 17 already knew the answer to, but he could still be wrong from time-to-time.

"Yeah," 18 nodded. "Mostly for the money, though."

17 snorted. "Of course. I'm most likely going to sit this one out. I rather gamble."

"You don't say." The blonde responded distractedly, resting the side of her head on a hand as she boredly took in the TV before them. "What are we watching?"

"Beats me." 17 responded with a shrug. "I've been trying to figure that out for the past hour. The twins picked it out."

The blonde cracked a smile at the mention of the twins. Due to the rather shaky childhood both her and Raditz had experienced, and even 17 of course, they both intended on making sure that Marise and Taro grew up like normal kids and free of worry. They wouldn't worry about their next meal, or how to survive, and they definitely wouldn't worry about not fitting in with their peers or being disowned by their father and said peers; no, they both promised that their kids would know they were loved, regardless.

"Oh?" 17 suddenly mused openly, flipping open the phone and regarding it in amusement. He could feel 18's curious eyes on him, but paid them no mind. Instead, he rose to his feet and answered the call with a smirk, heading to his room and trekking out of sight as he entertained whoever it was he was on the phone with. The curious blonde rolled her eyes at her brother's antics, noting that he merely offered her a small wave without sparing her a glance. It was his way of saying 'goodnight' and now that she was completely alone in the living room, 18 found herself quickly getting bored.

Needless to say, it didn't take long for the blonde to get off the couch and grab her shopping bags and head to the comfort of her own bedroom. On the way there, she made sure the front door and everything was locked, before closing her bedroom door behind her. With a sigh, she placed her shopping bags down on the floor in-front of the closet, stripping on the way to the shower. In utter silence, the blonde stepped in when the setting was just right and grabbed her shampoo off to the side.

She might as well wash her hair while she was in here. Though, as she squirted the shampoo on her hands and rubbed it generously in her hair, the blonde was all too aware that she was just making a futile attempt at trying to pass some time until her husband returned. The blonde bombshell closed her eyes, massaging her scalp one final time before rinsing the shampoo out. Afterwards, she grasped the nearby soap and slowly scrubbed away at her body. These past seven years had really made her open up to Raditz more than she ever thought was capable of, and maybe back then she would have a lot of trouble admitting that she felt lonely, now she could honestly say she didn't have half as much trouble.

The blonde exhaled softly, eventually finishing up and stepping out of the shower. Reaching a hand out, she grasped a hold of her towel and toweled her hair dry before tightly wrapping it around her small frame, trekking out of the bathroom and walking over to the dresser and grasping a small handheld device before plopping onto the bed. It was a phone Raditz had bought her when they first started dating and assured her that she could reach out to him anytime she needed anything at any time.

And with a few push of the buttons, the blonde pressed the call button. It certainly didn't take long for the male to answer, 18 immediately hearing loud music and a few loud shouts and screams here and there. The blonde winced at the sound, still unable to fathom how he was able to work in such a rowdy place. A few seconds passed and the blonde noticed that she could no longer hear anything in the background. 18 guessed that maybe he stepped outside for a bit.

 _"Bored, Lazuli?"_

 _"I suppose you can say that. Sounds like you're having more fun than me." She teased lightly._

 _"Tch. You know that isn't the case. After all, I assumed you were having more fun than me earlier, not seeing me off and all."_

 _The blonde frowned slightly - as she did genuinely feel bad about that. "Gomen." She apologized uncharacteristically, and there was a brief pause on the other end of the line._

 _"I was teasing." Raditz replied easily. "Everything OK?"_

 _18 said nothing at first, before quickly reassuring him moments later. "Aa."_

 _"Alright," Raditz replied, "Well, I'll be home before you know it. Goodnight, Lazuli. I have to go back inside now. Feel free to text me."_

 _"Right." The blonde replied quietly. "...Goodnight."_


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Thanks for all of the support and love. :) You guys are awesome.

And now for a few questions:

astral trinity: Yes, the twins have tails. And since they have to see the moon to undergo that particular transformation, they're safe for now.

coldblue: Lazuli isn't comfortable discussing intimacy with Bulma because she's not use to it. No, I haven't thought of 17 playing a role in gambling the tournament because I think I have a much more different role for him in the Buu Saga. As of now, I don't think I'll add more of Babidi minons to the mix of the things as there's much more bigger changes I'm focusing on. I decided to taunt Vegeta a bit more on the whole SSJ3 thing; I'm still debating on it. And as for Marise and Taro undergoing a transformation from seeing Buu destroying/eating human lives on earth...I won't say much, but it'll definitely be interesting. Besides, they're still three so I don't want to push things too far with them. Also, I do intend on throwing some more Bul/Veg as well as light Gohan/Videl. And I haven't thought much about Super yet. I'm still trying to make an outline for everything I want to happen during the Buu arc.

.

.

It'll either be chapter 4 or 5 when the tournament begins. Most likely next chapter. I'm getting anxious, after all.

* * *

Chapter 3: Dread and Foreboding

* * *

 _Where was she? The blonde-haired female quickly scanned her surroundings, but it was to no avail as she was completely immersed in darkness. She couldn't see a thing, nor feel anything except for the sensation of impending doom. It was unnerving to say the least, and she didn't know what to make out of it. The blonde swallowed thickly, suddenly able to hear her heart rhythmically slam against her rib-cage._

 _"Raditz?" She called out cautiously, slowly taking a few steps forward. "Marise? Taro?" She tried moments later, her blonde brows furrowing noticeably as she continued to slowly trek forwards. Futilely, she felt around in hopes that she'd latch onto a wall or anything at all for that matter, but she came up empty-handed. Needless to say, that did little to curb her increasing fear and anxiety. "17?" She tried one final time._

 _Nothing._

 _And just when the blonde android had abandoned all hope, there finally seemed to be some sort of light in the distance. Eagerly, the blonde picked up her pace, finding that for some reason said light seemed to be getting narrower and narrower the closer she seemed to get to it. Why? And why was she suddenly feeling tired? She wasn't built to tire or run out of energy. 18 found herself getting frustrated despite her situation. Just what the hell was going on?! And where was everyone? Where was her husband...her kids...and her family and friends? And before the blonde could even process what was happening next, she suddenly found herself slipping and landing onto her hands and knees with a loud gasp._

 _18 blinked owlishly._

 _She... slipped?_

 _The blonde squinted at the foul smelling liquid beneath her. It was sticky, and it felt as unpleasant as it smelled. However, that didn't seem to be the end of 18's unpleasant experience as her icy eyes all but widened as she identified the substance beneath her as blood. It was literally everywhere and the blonde raised a hand to her mouth in surprise, nearly releasing the bile she felt compiled to release upon realizing that said blood was now all over her mouth._

 _Eighteen felt disgusted._

 _Just who did this belong to? It was so much blood, it was hard to imagine it coming just from one person. And then, as if some unknown force was answering her question, Eighteen ended up seeing that her theory was right on the nail. She released a piercing scream at the horrific sight as she was more than able to identify who the blood belonged to._

 _Or rather all the people, the blood belonged to._

"Lazuli!" A voice called out worriedly; however, there was no response and just as the male moved to try to shake her again, the blonde all but jolted up with a loud gasp and wide eyes. She was covered in sweat, and, with her heart radically pounding against her chest, the blonde found it just as hard to calm down as it was to breathe. Her thoughts, her heart...everything was racing a mile a minute and she was unable to make it stop. Why did she have that dream and just what did it mean? After all, a dream like that just had to signify _something_. Did it have anything to do with the upcoming tournament or maybe beyond that? 18 was in a trance of her own, thoughts continuously running through her head.

Raditz, on the other hand, worriedly regarded his wife as he took in the tears she was fighting to keep at bay. She seemed to be in shock still and probably wasn't even aware that she was trembling. The Saiyan tried a different approach, noting to himself that this wasn't the first time that Lazuli had a bad dream. Granted, it had been quite a while, but he still remembered how to comfort her. So, without further ado, the half-naked Saiyan pulled his wife's small form into his chest.

"Lazuli," he whispered slowly, tightening his hold on her, "You're okay now, alright? I'm here."

He felt her arms wrap around him and noted that she was finally responding to him. Good. That was a good sign, Raditz mentally mused. "I won't let anyone hurt you or our family." He promised seriously. His words seemed to do the trick and Raditz distractedly glanced at the clock on their night stand. It was 6:20 in the morning and he had just finished showering after training in the G.M - nothing out the usual, for him at least. It seemed his wife was a whole different story, however, as he barely had time to pull on a pair of sweatpants before noticing that something was off about his sleeping wife.

She had been breathing erratically and he had attempted to wake her up, but to no avail.

The burly Saiyan sighed at his quiet wife, easing into bed and pulling her against him. She still seemed a bit shocked, but overall looked to be in a better state of mind. "Want to talk about it?"

"No, thanks." She mumbled distractedly, laying her head onto his bare chest. "At least not right now."

The Saiyan refrained from pestering her about the matter any further, merely nodding and tightening his hold on her. After all, the only way to get information out of her was to let her tell him when _she_ was ready - not when he was ready to hear it. "Alright." He finally answered. "I'll be here when you're ready."

~0~

Bulma released a sigh, not at all surprised when she realized that she was in an empty bed. _Again_. It sure didn't take a rocket science to know that the flame-haired Saiyan was training in the gravity machine. He sure was taking this tournament thing a little too seriously. And for what? Goku wasn't even participating in the tournament and she couldn't help but say the same for Raditz. Or was he? The bluenette pouted, rolling over in her bed in hopes of getting comfortable and falling back asleep, at least.

However, her attempt was fruitless.

Bulma moaned in annoyance, exhaling loudly before finally deciding to get up. The sun had barely been up for thirty minutes and here she was in her queen-sized bed wide-awake. Groggily, the bluenette sat up and eased off her bed, stepping into her pink slippers and trekking out of her bedroom. Her dad probably wasn't even up yet and that alone spoke volumes. Though, maybe if she sipped on some warm milk she'd be able to sleep again in no time. So, with that in mind, Bulma made her way to the kitchen, opening the refrigerator with a eagerness she didn't know she contained upon reaching it.

Gingerly, she grabbed the carton of milk with a hand all the while grabbing a coffee mug out of the cabinet with the other, filling the mug up and popping it into the microwave afterwards. With the milk now back in the fridge and the low hum of the microwave up and running, the blue-haired scientist patiently waited for the microwave to come to a stop. From where she stood, as it was ridiculously quiet, she could also hear the low hum of the gravity machine Vegeta was currently using as well.

 _BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEEP!_

"Finally," Bulma commented with a smile, opening the door to the microwave after the beeping ceased and pulling out her mug of warm milk. She was at least glad she didn't have to wait too long for her little treat. And after pursing her pink lips, she blew the milk a bit before sipping away. After a few sips in, Bulma pulled away just enough to make a sigh of content. Just when was the last time she had warm milk like this? When she was a child maybe? At one point, she had even got slightly hooked on the stuff Bulma mentally recalled. That was _definitely_ her mom's fault, seeing as her mother was the one that put her on it.

Bulma giggled lightly at the memory, taking a couple more sips of milk again.

The scientist had been so immersed in her milk that she barely noticed the gravity machine eventually coming to halt, nor noticed that a shirtless Vegeta was finally trekking in.

Without saying a word to woman leaning against the counter sipping on milk, Vegeta trekked past her and grabbed a bottle of water out of the fridge. Easily, he popped the cap off with a hard squeeze of the bottle and tilted his head back as he eagerly drunk the contents.

"Well, good morning to you, too." Bulma bit out teasingly, shamelessly throwing the Saiyan a wink. Her sour mood had faded just a little, to be honest, and she had found herself unable to resist messing with the Saiyan before her.

Vegeta blushed lightly, merely averting his eyes away with a snort as he chugged down the remaining water. Finished and having gained his composure, Vegeta diverted his eyes onto the woman beside him. He cocked a brow. "And just what are you doing up?"

She shrugged. "Couldn't sleep without my 'Prince Charming'."

In a way, it wasn't too far from the truth as she couldn't help but feel somewhat lonely as of late. They weren't interacting as much and she missed it. It seemed as if whenever he trained for something, he became even more distant and she didn't like it. Initially, back when Trunks was first born, he was so hard to deal with at first and he had such impenetrable barriers encasing himself that she was honestly surprised they ended up having a few flings and giving birth to Trunks in the first place.

Then, just when he started coming around a bit, he was sucked back in to being his distant and avoid-everyone-at-all-costs self. It was almost like a pattern of sorts. However, during these past seven years, he seemed easier to read and less uptight. It was almost as if the more time that passed, even if it did seem to take _years_ , his plethora of barriers dropped one by one.

Vegeta, on the other hand, narrowed his onyx eyes. "Don't mock me."

"Hm?" Bulma replied owlishly. She had been a little more immersed in her thoughts than she thought and Vegeta seemed to pick up on this; his expression seemed to be that of annoyance. Bulma shook her head as if to shake away her distractions. And then, piecing everything together, she rolled her eyes. "I wasn't mocking you."

If Bulma had a nickel for every time Vegeta thought she was mocking him, she'd be rich.

At least, if she wasn't already.

"Oh, really?" The Saiyan Prince asked rather sarcastically, his lips tugged in a frown. "Then just what is it you - "

" - I miss you is all." Bulma interrupted hurriedly, her blue eyes lowering. "You've been training even more since the tournament is approaching and whatnot." She sighed, her blue eyes glued to the kitchen floor. "Though, I guess I should've expected it." She mumbled quietly, "You always train harder and more often the second something comes up."

Bulma caught a glimpse of his wide eyes out of the corner of her eyes, but she didn't pay it any mind. Instead, she put her empty mug into the sink and moved to head off to her bedroom. She had ended up revealing more than she intended if she had to be honest. Maybe it was the same for him at times, too. Then, just before she disappeared around the corner, she offered him a 'good night' before trekking up the stairs. Alright, so perhaps she was got in over herself a bit because clearly she was still a bit more sour than she thought.

She released a low 'tsk' in irritation with herself, though, within minutes, Bulma made it back to her room. Perhaps this time, she'd be able to go back to sleep. After all, warm milk inducing sleep has been a theory for the longest and it never failed her before. So, easing back into her bed, Bulma moved around a bit before finally getting comfortable enough to doze off - which seemed to take an eternity, but Bulma could tell that she was finally getting somewhere.

And just before she was completely asleep, she felt the bed dip behind her slightly - the smell of cinnamon body wash hitting her nostrils - before a light, knowing smile enveloped her features.

~0~

Videl bit her lip in a futile attempt to curb her anxiety. After all, would Gohan say anything about her new hair cut? He seemed to barely know anything pertaining to girls, let alone notice anything about them. Then again, she could be wrong. Even though Videl felt pretty confident that she pretty much had Gohan figured out, he could still be quite unpredictable at times. Just like when they were at the burger joint yesterday and he suggested that she cut her hair. However, to her embarrassment, his reasoning wasn't because he preferred girls with short hair but it was because he was only offering her _friendly_ advice.

Needless to say, she hasn't felt that stupid in a while.

Heck, maybe if that whole misunderstanding didn't happen she would've stayed longer as she had mastered how to at least float a few inches above ground when they got back. But she found it unbearably hard to continue to swallow her pride and was even more unable to face him for long she realized; thus, she merely decided on coming back the next day.

To her surprise, Gohan and Goten wasn't at Chi-Chi's house. Instead, his mother had said that they were both at their uncle's house - which wasn't inconvenient in any way as it was literally within sight. The only thing was she never heard anything about his uncle and was slightly nervous. Videl closed her eyes as she inhaled and then exhaled in an attempt to calm her nerves as well as her beating heart. After all, she couldn't just remain standing here with her hand awkwardly hovering mid-knock in front of the door.

However, before she could finish processing her thoughts and let alone move, the door was already being opened.

Videl's purple eyes all but widened at the sight. The blonde before her was gorgeous and she had the most captivating icy blue eyes she has ever seen. By chance, Videl's eyes diverted to the small girl on the woman's back and pieced together that the woman standing before her was the mother of Gohan's twin cousins. After all, the small blonde child looked exactly identical to the mother, and perhaps the other kid looked identical to his father.

18 cocked a brow at the lady before her, beginning to get slightly impatient. She wasn't doing anything but staring at her, after all. "Can I help you?"

Videl's eyes widened upon being addressed, blushing in faint embarrassment. She cleared her throat sheepishly. "Um, hi, I'm Videl Satan. I attend Orange Star High School with Gohan." She allowed a slow smile to cross her features. "Chi-Chi said Gohan was here."

18's icy blue eyes widened briefly, before returning to her usual stoic gaze. Nevertheless, she side-stepped and allowed Videl to enter. "My name's 18." She introduced indifferently, "I'm Gohan and Goten's aunt." 18 diverted her icy eyes onto her daughter, whom was currently immersed in the piggyback ride she was receiving from her mother, and smiled faintly. "I'm sure you've met Marise, my daughter, and - " 18 gestured to her brother, Goten, and Taro playing some type of game 17 had bought the kids - "That's my twin brother, 17, and Marise's twin brother, Taro, and I'm sure you know Goten already."

Videl was tempted to ask the blonde bombshell why her and her twin brother had numbers instead of actual names, but decided against it. The blonde woman looked slightly intimidating after all. Instead, she nodded in understanding and politely waved at the group in the living room, but they paid her no mind. Whatever game they were playing seemed to have their full attention.

"Don't mind them." 18 stated stoically, gesturing for Videl to close the door behind her and follow her.

"O-Of course." Videl agreed, following the blonde through the spacious area between the living room and the kitchen. They sure had a nice home. It had a nice familial feel to it, and the purple-eyed girl couldn't help but feel a twinge of sadness as she thought about her own home. Videl brushed it aside and came to a stop behind 18, whom paused briefly to open the sliding doors that led outside to the backyard.

"Gohan's been back here training with his uncle and Piccolo for a bit. He seems to have gotten a bit rusty in such a short time."

Videl's purple eyes followed 18's line of sight and true to 18's word, Gohan was fending off a green man and a long-haired male - which Videl guessed was 18's husband and Gohan's uncle. They were moving unbelievably fast, way too fast for her eyes to follow, and Gohan and the long-haired male both had... _yellow_ hair? Videl frowned, the gears starting to move around a bit in her head as she pieced a few things together here and about.

Gohan, on the other hand, was oblivious to his purple-haired classmate watching him aside his aunt. Ultimately, he was fighting to keep his uncle and Piccolo at bay - as they were hellbent on attacking on together. A SSJ2 Gohan dodged a kick to the chest from Piccolo, only to catch a harsh knee to the back from his SSJ3 uncle. Gohan spluttered up blood and fell to his hands and knees. Even if his uncle had yet to be able to master maintaining the form for longer than thirty minutes, it was still quite a handful to deal with and hard to keep up with. Gohan barely moved out of the way of a double ki attack from Piccolo and Raditz, somersaulting out of the way.

Just how did he end up in this situation in the first place again? All he wanted to do was drop off something his mother wanted to give to his uncle and at the time, a SSJ3 Raditz had been training with Piccolo. Piccolo had been struggling as he was only about as strong as he was in SSJ2 form or little more, but was at least holding his own somewhat. Needless to say, Gohan barely had anytime to drop off anything as they quickly double-teamed him the minute he stepped outside.

"Don't zone out!" Piccolo chastised with narrowed eyes, phasing in in front of the teen and sending him hurling backwards. Gohan barely had time to guard his self from the attack with his forearms, grimacing as he slammed into a nearby tree. Raditz had followed up Piccolo's attack with a huge pink ki blast, watching as Gohan's eyes widened slightly; however, the only thing he could think of was to attempt to catch it and redirect its path.

So, he did just that, catching it with a grunt as he visibly strained to redirect it. The teenager gritted his teeth as he could literally feel his body hurling backwards from the sheer force of the attack. Finally, he released a loud battle cry, having found the strength to push his arms up and send it upwards. The exhausted teen grimaced as he took in his singed limbs and noted the aching pain in his back, before dropping out of his SSJ2 and falling flat on his back.

"Gohan!" Videl called out worriedly, purple eyes wide. Her body had all but moved before her body could process it, running past the two stunned males and dropping down to her knees beside the male. "Are you okay?"

Instantly, Gohan's eyes widened as the woman sat him up with strength he forgot she possessed. "V-Videl?! How long have you been here and just how much did you see?"

Videl looked slightly taken aback, her brows furrowing together in confusion. Then her features morphed into that of angry one. Here she was concerned about him, and all he could worry about what how much did she see? What did it matter? It wasn't as she hadn't already pieced together that his family was different when she came her on her first visit anyway. He was acting as if he couldn't trust her or something. Videl huffed, turning away from the confused teenager.

So, that was it, huh.

"Just how dense can you be?" Videl questioned with a scowl. She was beginning to get real tired of his naivety. First, with the haircut ordeal and now this?

Gohan blinked. "What? I don't understand, Videl; I'm sorry."

"Of course you don't." She snapped. However, she instantly regretted it at Gohan's hurt look.

She sighed.

And Gohan frowned, looking to Piccolo for help - aware that he could hear everything despite the distance. However, the Namekian looked just as confused as he was. He sighed. Maybe he should try a different approach. "I didn't mean to upset you, Videl. Can you please just tell me what's going on?" He inquired gently.

Videl sent him a sad smile. There was no use in trying. He wouldn't understand unless she just came out and told him the truth. And at this moment, Videl realized that she liked Gohan. She liked him more than a friend, and unless she found a way to deal with that then she was just going to continue to get upset with him for not realizing something _she failed_ to call to his attention. It just wasn't right, nor fair to Gohan. Heck, she had already forced him into giving her what she wanted and had blackmailed him and put him in a situation where she couldn't blame him for not trusting her. She shouldn't overstep even more than she already has. Gohan really was a nice person and he was sweet to her despite everything.

"I've just been so stressed at home." She half-lied. "I guess I've been taking that frustration out on you." Videl helped up the exhausted teen to his feet, "I'm sorry, Gohan. It won't happen again."

Gohan seemed to accept this answer from her. "Well, in that case, don't sweat it." He sent her a reassuring smile. "If you give me a minute, we can continue your lessons. I'm just a bit hungry and I'm sure my mom whipped something up by now. You can join us if you like."

She returned the smile, nodding once. "Sure thing."

"Alright." Gohan replied, taking the lead and trekking back inside his uncle's home. It would seem that while he and Videl was talking, Piccolo took that as his cue to leave; however, Gohan wasn't really bothered as he knew the Namekian would be back come tomorrow. As for his uncle and aunt, he could see the duo in the kitchen, grabbing pans of food and moving to head out the front door.

Gohan smiled. "Looks like we're eating at the picnic table in my mom's yard."

Videl said nothing in response, coming to a halt beside Gohan at the edge of the kitchen. "Uncle Raditz?" Gohan called out when the burly Saiyan returned through the front doors.

Raditz cocked a brow, trekking towards his nephew. "Yeah?"

Gohan gestured to Videl at his side. "This is Videl. She's Hercule's daughter."

Raditz blinked, diverting his eyes onto the petite girl. So this was the girl that Gohan had told them about, huh? The Saiyan had to admit that she wasn't what he expected in the least. She had a whole different vibe compared to her father. It was hard to believe that someone so small actually had a hold of his nephew. He smirked. She kinda reminded him of Bulma, a bit. The Saiyan finally opened his mouth, "Nice to meet you. I'm Raditz."

Videl seemed slightly taken aback, having not expect him to be so...polite? After all, he had a rather big and intimidating stature. Despite her thoughts, she offered him a polite smile, "Nice to meet you as well." And then she frowned, tilting her head to the side as she realized he sort of looked like Son Goku. At least from the images she has seen. "By chance, are you related to Son Goku?"

Raditz cocked a brow, but nonetheless answered with a nod. "He's my younger brother."

Understanding dawned on Videl's features as the information sunk in. Ah, so Raditz was Gohan's uncle from his dad's side of the family. Well then, Gohan sure had an interesting family, to say the least.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Thanks for all of the continued support. Sorry about the lack of update, I started my senior year of college last Thursday and I got sick. :( Feeling slightly better, though. :)

Questions:

TheDivines: No, you're not missing anything. It's just heavily implied that Raditz has achieved this state since he has been continuously training. Figured his training of seven years should at least have some result or product.

coldblue: I'm sure Videl will have a chance to learn something like that with Gohan. She's just having a few of her own issues right now. I have considered giving Vegeta's point of view when he goes through his little crisis, yes, but I'm not sure how far in depth I'm going to go with it quite yet. As far the Supreme Kai's view that isn't a bad idea, honestly, but I was kinda thinking of doing it from Piccolo's view. I dunno. That seemed more interesting to me. And when I say taunt Vegeta about SSJ3, I mean give him a hard time. I know that's vague, but I'm trying not to reveal too much. Also, I did include some of Marise and Taro's perspective, but not too much of it. And I haven't given any thought to Raditz having any sort of mating talk with Gohan honestly.

If I missed any questions, let me know please. I assure you it wasn't intentional.

* * *

Chapter 4: The Tournament Begins!

* * *

Time sure did go by fast. Almost too fast, sometimes. It was already the day of the tournament, and though 18 didn't have any more disturbing dreams, that didn't make her feel any more at her ease. It was just so vivid and it felt so real, that 18 couldn't help but think back to it. In addition, whenever she had dreams, they were either memories of things that already happened or, very rarely, of things that were to come.

That alone was enough to keep her continuously worrying about it.

However, despite her excessive worrying, she just couldn't bring herself to tell her husband about it. Of course, they had gotten rather close over the years, but sometimes it was still a bit hard to be open with certain matters. It wasn't as if she could help it. For as long as she could remember, she has always been this way and had always kept up a strong face no matter what was thrown her way. Luckily, Raditz was patient with her and understood when she didn't want to address certain matters and left it at that. He didn't push or prod her about it, and instead, waited for her to come around to him.

18 couldn't help but crack a smile at the thought, her icy blue eyes stoically taking in the scenery outside the air car everyone was riding in. The operator of said air car, Bulma, had been more than persistent about everyone riding to the tournament together. The blue-haired scientist had irritably stated that everyone had spent the past two weeks or so training for the tournament and doing their own thing and that this was the least they could do. Needless to say, Bulma got what she wanted without much of a fight.

As expected, of course.

Then again, it wasn't as if the group flight to tournament was a nuisance like she initially thought it would be; it was far from it, surprisingly. The blonde Android had thought that Vegeta would cause a problem somehow, but it seemed as if he changed more so than what one would think. Furthermore, aside from the occasional banter here and there, whether it be from Krillin, Yamcha, or their respective partners - Marron and Susan Marie - or the twins and Goten and Trunks, the ride to the tournament was fairly peaceful. In no time, probably no more than thirty minutes at the most, the island where the tournament was being held came into sight and even from here, 18 could see Bulma grinning from ear-to-ear.

"See guys," Bulma began triumphantly, "that wasn't so bad, now was it?"

Vegeta, sitting in the passenger seat, released an annoyed grunt as his arms remained folded across his chest. He had been the main one to protest about carpooling together to the tournament when everyone could simply fly and the woman had gave him an unwanted earful; therefore, Vegeta refused to say anything more on the matter. He didn't feel like dealing with her today as he had an inkling that Kakarot would be showing up to the tournament today; he just knew it and that was his main priority as far as he was concerned. After all, that oaf wouldn't pass up a fight for anything. It just wasn't in their Saiyan nature. It was more than likely that Raditz was aware of this, too, and was equally expecting Kakarot to show up. However, _he_ would be the one to bring Kakarot down - not Raditz.

Vegeta, unaware that he had unconsciously been regarding Raditz out of the corner of his eyes, quickly caught a hold of himself upon Raditz sending him a questioning look. The Saiyan Prince 'tsked', diverting his eyes back ahead of him just in time to see the that they were finally touching down. Soon, nothing would come in the way between he and Kakarot's fight and he would finally have what he desired. Vegeta's jaw tightened in anticipation, a slow smirk spreading across his features.

Tarble, on the other hand, was feeling quite the opposite compared to his older brother. He was nervous and unsure and unbeknownst to him, Ranfan, the purple-haired woman beside him could tell. He was sweating and his fists were clenched together. She cocked a brow in concern at the sight, placing a hand atop of his in an comforting gesture.

"Are you okay?"

Tarble sent his girlfriend a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "I'm just a bit nervous is all. This is my first tournament and - "

Vegeta snorted, rolling his eyes as he cocked his head to the side just enough to look at his younger brother. He narrowed his eyes, all but interrupting the younger Saiyan. " - Oh, please! You're a Saiyan! There's nothing to be _nervous_ about when you carry such blood in your veins! Have you forgotten that you can turn Super Saiyan?"

"Well, no," Tarble replied quietly, "but I still can't help how I feel, nii-san."

Bulma sent Vegeta a glare as she unbuckled her seat-belt. "Oh, leave him alone, Vegeta. Not everyone can be as arrogant as you and that's a good thing." Then the blue-haired woman was folding her arms under her bust as she continued with her nose tilted upwards, "Besides, I don't really advise any of you Saiyans to transform in the first place. Gohan and I discussed it earlier and thought it'd be everyone's best bet. After all, mostly everyone here would just be recognized from the Cell Games and that would be more trouble than it's worth."

Vegeta huffed, features eased into his ever present scowl. "I doubt it'd be as much trouble as you say. We can easily dispose of them if need be."

Bulma rolled her eyes. "Your fists can't solve everything, Vegeta. Just when are you going to learn that? Besides, it's not as if you guys need to go Super Saiyan in the first place to win." She stated pointedly. "You're going against humans for the most part."

Gohan nodded, completing his Great Saiyaman get-up with his sunglasses. "I couldn't agree more."

Krillin, on the other hand, shrugged. "Hey, same here; besides, this just means I'll have more of a chance to win, right, Piccolo?"

The Namekian in question released a grunt of disagreement, followed by a mere, "Speak for yourself."

Raditz chuckled in amusement, rising to his feet and hefting Taro up onto one of his shoulders. "Nonetheless," he finally spoke, "this tournament is bound to get interesting either way."

Chi-Chi cocked a brow, "What makes you say that?"

He smirked, finally deciding to voice his suspicions. "I just have a feeling that Kakarot is going to be here."

Chi-Chi's eyes widened at her brother-in-law's words, nearly falling over herself in the process. "Are you serious?"

Raditz nodded once. "Even though it is just a feeling, it's one I can't shake."

Krillin got out of his seat excitedly, "Well, what are we waiting for, then? I say we get to the bottom of this feeling of Raditz's once and for all!" The small male with a head full of black hair all but ran off the air car and left the others behind, Maron quickly trailing behind him so as to not be left behind.

"Hey!" Yamcha called after the smaller man moments later, grasping Susan's hand and trailing after him, "Wait up, bud!"

~0~

Marise curiously looked on from beside her mother as the adults seemed to be eagerly seeking someone out. The blonde girl couldn't help but think it had something to do with this 'Kakarot' person she heard everyone talking about on the air car earlier. Even her dad and Piccolo seemed to be seeking him out to some extent. She would have asked Goten and Trunks what they thought about the matter, but the two boys had all but helped themselves to the top of her dad's head and other shoulder in order to get a better view - as Taro remained on the other shoulder still.

Marise frowned, tilting her head up towards her mother in curiosity. "Momma?"

The blonde woman in question diverted her icy blue eyes onto the small form beside her, a blonde brow cocked as she regarded her daughter. "Hmm?"

"Who's this 'Kakarot' person?"

Android 18 was slightly taken aback at first, but nonetheless answered coolly, "He's your father's younger brother." The Cyborg paused for a moment as if she was mulling over the words she had just stated, before continuing further, "In other words, Goku is your uncle and only Vegeta and your father refer to him as Kakarot; Everyone else calls him Goku."

Marise fell silent for a bit, sinking in the information her mother relayed to her. "Do you know why?"

18 diverted her cool eyes onto her daughter's matching blue ones, noting that Marise was being fairly observant. Though, now that 18 thought about it, that wasn't out of the ordinary for Marise as she seemed to take a interest in the things around her and genuinely wanted to understand what occurred from time to time. She couldn't help but wonder if that came from Raditz. After all, given his childhood, he didn't really have a choice in the matter; lest, he wanted to die.

"No," 18 finally answered her quietly, "I don't know."

18 could tell that Marise wasn't quite satisfied with this answer, but the blonde woman knew that sooner or later Marise would bring the topic back up again later. So, in silence, the two merely continued behind everyone else. And in what seemed to take a little under ten minutes, they all seemed to reach the registration area and just as Vegeta, whom had been leading the group aside a blue-haired woman, moved to head towards the two males behind the desk, an all-too-familiar form was phasing in before him.

" _Ugh_ , you idiot!" Vegeta addressed with a irritated scowl, "watch where you're popping in at!" Though he wouldn't admit it, he had been slightly caught off guard as he had been immersed of thoughts of his own. His wife, Bulma, had all but chuckled femininely at the sight and noted that her childhood friend had found it equally amusing as he released a light chuckle of his own. Heck, even the two men at the registration desk was slightly taken aback as they had caught sight of Goku phasing in.

"Aw, come on, Vegeta," Goku retorted with a light frown, "don't be so harsh!"

While Vegeta merely 'tsked' in response, Bulma shot the spiky-haired Saiyan a grin, "Nice to have you back, Goku."

It was all she could get out before the others, mainly Krillin, Yamcha, and Gohan all but surrounded him. It was fairly obvious that the three males had missed their friend and father as they had nearly tackled the Saiyan over; however, Chi-Chi seemed to be torn in between doing the same and waiting for her dead husband to come to her. Meanwhile Raditz and Piccolo seemed content with patiently watching from a distance and simply waiting for the opportunity to get a few words in or so.

"It sure has been a long time!" Goku noted cheerily, sporting a yellow halo atop of his spiky hair. "It's really great to see you guys again!"

"Likewise." Gohan agreed with a smile. "So much has happened over the past seven years and I can't wait to tell you all about it, dad."

Goku beamed even more if possible, "And I can't wait to hear it because boy have you grown a lot since the last time I've seen you!"

Krillin chuckled. "Well, we all have, pal. Heck, I'm going to be getting married soon to Maron and Yamcha here is going to be marrying Susan Marie." The former monk gestured to the two women who seemed unsure of what was going on, but nonetheless waved when Goku looked in their direction.

"Nice to meet ya!" Goku politely waved back, diverting his black eyes onto three males before him, "I never would've imagined you two would be getting married soon, but congrats, guys! I'm happy for you!"

Yamcha nodded, "Thanks, man."

Baba, whom had escorted Goku to Earth and the tournament on her infamous crystal ball, cleared her throat awkwardly. As much as she hated to interrupt, she had other matters to tend to and would prefer not to waste anymore time on the reunion taking place before her eyes. "Remember," She began somewhat regrettably, "You only have 24 hours, Goku. That's all I can give you. I'll be back for you when the time is up."

Goku nodded his understanding, his smile not fading in the slightest. "Sure! See you then!"

Baba nodded and took off to the skies, leaving Goku and company behind.

"Goku." Chi-Chi greeted with near doe-like eyes. She couldn't wait anymore. They had been apart for too long and she missed him. With that in mind, she trekked towards him, all but melting when he opened his arms for her, "I missed you."

"I missed you, too, Chi."

The raven-haired woman smiled lovingly at the Saiyan before her, pulling back only upon hearing the call of her name. Curiously, she turned around only to see her youngest regarding her silently. At some point, he had separated himself from Raditz and Trunks out of utter curiosity it would seem. Chi-Chi smiled at this, "Come closer, dear."

He seemed hesitant to do so, but did so anyway.

"Hiya, there." Goku greeted, kneeling down to the boy's level. They sure looked alike and for some reason, that made Goku's smile widened even more at the sight of the boy, "I'm Goku. What's your name?"

Goten tilted his head to the side, before a slow smile eased onto his features as he further examined the male before him. He seemed nice - just like Gohan told him. "My name's Goten."

"Goten, huh?" Goku repeated, ruffling the male's head affectionately before hefting him up to sit on his shoulder, "I like that."

The young Saiyan smiled happily, not at all minding the gesture.

"Man," Goku began with an exhale, "It sure feels good to be back again." He then frowned in realization before his black eyes scanned over his surroundings until he found his older brother. Goku beamed at the sight of the male, trekking towards him eagerly. "Long time, no see."

Raditz smirked, throwing a glance Goku's way. "Precisely. I was wondering how much older your niece and nephew had to get before you finally met them."

Goku frowned, taken aback. "Niece and nephew?"

Raditz directed his gaze onto his son on his shoulder and then Marise beside his wife. "I had twins with 18."

Goku blinked stupidly, following his gaze. "...Android 18?"

Raditz smirked. "A lot has changed, including her so let that sink in before you say anything stupid."

Though it would seem it was too late as Goku had all but asked how Androids could have babies in the first place. The Saiyan sighed but nonetheless assured him that she hadn't been modified that much, and that seemed to be all the explanation his older brother needed. Thankful that what he told Kakarot set in, Raditz finished introducing the twins to their uncle, and pointed out that Tarble had joined them during the time he had been dead. And, so as to avoid any confusion, Raditz had deemed it best to conclude the reunion by wrapping up the last of the introductions, even going as far as to fill him in on the things that took place during the course of the seven years Kakarot was absent. After all, they had yet to register - something of which Piccolo had reminded them about - and they needed to get a move on if they wanted to make it.

Luckily they did and the registration and test of strength progressed rather smoothly, lest you count Trunks getting upset about competing in the Junior division and Vegeta completely demolishing the strength machine with a mere punch when his turn came around. Either way, it seemed everyone had been slightly motivated upon hearing the coordinators of the tournament explain that only the fifteen with the highest score would qualify in order to weed out the hundreds of contestants that appeared.

Videl, however, seemed to be focus on other matters.

Or rather, _still_ stuck on something in particular.

"Whoa," Videl commented in a near-whisper, "I can't believe he... _destroyed_ it!"

From beside her, Videl noted that Gohan released an exasperated sigh at Vegeta's display and frowned. She diverted her purple eyes onto Gohan, curious. "Is something the matter, Gohan?"

Gohan laughed sheepishly, "Well, it's nothing important." And desperate for a change of topic, he cleared his throat awkwardly before asking, "So, uh, it must be pretty nice for Hercule to automatically have a spot guaranteed to him, huh?"

At the mention of her father, Videl smiled. "Yeah, but then again - " She frowned slightly, her purple eyes becoming slightly downcast - "I just wish it didn't go to his head at times."

"...I see." Gohan replied slowly as he was unsure of what to say. Or rather what he wanted to say would probably upset her - as Hercule seemed to let things get to his head _all_ the time. Nevertheless, Gohan decided to stay quiet, a smile appearing on his features as he suddenly saw the others heading his way. He waved them over. Since they were finished with the punching machine, they were probably going to head elsewhere since it'd take a while for the new one to come up. He certainly didn't blame them.

"We're gonna head over to the Junior Division to see Trunks and Goten fight." Goku supplied with a smile. Then, as if finally recognizing that someone was beside Gohan, he diverted his eyes onto Videl. "Hiya, there!"

Videl blinked at the male before her. He had weird spiky hair and was in an orange gi of some sorts. He was the only one, aside from a flame-haired male in a dark blue uniform and a shorter male with head full of hair, that she didn't recognize. After all, she did recognize Piccolo, Raditz, and 18. "Um, hi?"

And as if realizing that he had forgot to do something, Gohan cleared his throat. His mother would have his head if she knew he had forgotten the basics of his manners. "Videl, this is my dad, Goku, and - " he pointed to the shorter male - "that's his best friend, Krillin" - and Gohan gestured over to Vegeta whom was obviously disinterested - "that's Vegeta."

"Oh," Gohan suddenly tacked on as an after thought, pointing out Tarble behind Vegeta. He had nearly forgotten to introduce him. "That's Tarble. He's Vegeta's younger brother." Gohan sent a small smile to Videl, "They look just alike, huh?"

Videl distractedly hummed her agreement, noting to herself that she had barely noticed Tarble's presence. He didn't seem nearly as intimidating as Vegeta or Android 18. He actually seemed very polite as he even bowed towards her.

"Nice to meet you, Videl!" Goku offered cheerily, watching as her purple eyes diverted off of Tarble and onto him, "It's good to see that Gohan has nice friends."

Krillin chuckled to himself. "You mean... _girlfriend_."

Gohan blushed at the implication, earning a few laughs at his expense. "It's...not like that at all! I promise, right, Videl?"

Videl seemed taken aback at first, forcing a smile on her face after recovering. "...Right. We're just friends."

"See!" Gohan insisted triumphantly, "I told you."

"Yeah, yeah," Krillin brushed off with a wink, trekking off towards the Junior Division, "Anyway, we're gonna go on and head over. Join us whenever you're finished here."

And without further ado, Goku and the others headed over to see Trunks and Goten. Gohan, the infamous Saiyaman, sighed in relief as soon as they were out of sight as he didn't think he wanted to be teased any further. It was even more embarrassing to be teased in front of Videl, no less. Unfortunately, the male was completely unaware of the frown on Videl's face as well as her clenched fists.

His confirmation of him seeing her as nothing more than a friend hurt her more than she'd ever let him know.

~0~

Taro frowned, slightly disappointed that he couldn't participate in the tournament. Instead, he and Marise had been told to stay by their aunt Chi-Chi's and Bulma's side and cheer them on from the sidelines. From the looks of things, this tournament was hardly anything to begin with. All of the kids were weak as well as some of the adults he felt out and it was clear that Trunks and Goten would be in the finals.

"Hey, bud," Yamcha reassured with a small smile. He was sitting on Taro's right, while Chi-Chi was on Taro's left. Marise was in between Bulma and Chi-Chi, while Tarble's girlfriend was seated on Bulma's other side. "No need to be so down," Yamcha continued when he had the small boy's attention, "it'll be your turn soon enough."

Taro nodded mutely, not really in the mood to reply back. He couldn't help but feel left out and couldn't help but wonder if his twin felt the same. His black eyes diverted onto Marise, only to see that Marise seemed to be scouting out for someone - of course, she wasn't down he noted somewhat sourly. Nevertheless, Taro kept his eyes on her, watching as a smile graced her face immediately. He followed her line of sight.

It was their parents and they were also watching the Junior Division it seemed.

"Did we miss anything?"

Taro turned his head slightly, only to see an older bald man with red rimmed sunglasses and a white beard trekking in front of the row they were on and sitting down. Behind the old man was a pink pig of sorts and they had a handful of snacks in their hands. Taro furrowed his brows at the pair. Though he felt absolutely nothing from the pig, the old man had a surge of ki he wouldn't have placed to belong to him. It has been bothering him since the ride to the tournament and he never did keep an ear out for their names. For a reason unbeknownst to him, they had been sitting in the back of the air car giggling about some sort of book.

They sure were weird.

"No," Chi-Chi answered with a small smile. "You and Oolong are just in time. Goten and Trunks have been in little skirmishes of their own, but they haven't fought each other yet."

"Ah, I see." Master Roshi responded distractedly, seemingly scouting out the surrounding people. He had a feeling he would see plenty of hot, young girls around. He chuckled perversely to himself, an equally perverse grin on his features. The old man quickly became immersed in a world of his own.

"You know," Chi-Chi began thoughtfully, her black eyes diverting onto Bulma's blue ones, "I knew that there'd hardly be any competition for Trunks and Goten, but they're really zipping through this pretty fast."

Bulma hummed her agreement. "I can only imagine how it's going to go for the adults."

"True," Chi-Chi agreed, and then she sent Bulma a weird look. "Something's been bothering me, though."

Bulma cocked a brow. "And what's that?"

"Where's Tien and Launch?"

Bulma sent Chi-Chi a coy look. "Oh? I must have forgotten to tell you, but apparently Tien knocked Launch up and Tien's deciding to take it easy for a bit until she gives birth."

"He's a lucky man." Roshi interrupted with a 'tsk' and a shake of the head before Chi-Chi could respond. "I remember the good 'ol days when she used to live at Kame Island for a bit."

Bulma sent him an annoyed look. The perverted old man probably just missed groping the much calmer side of Launch. The blue-haired scientist rolled her eyes. Some things never changed; what a shame. With a shake of the head, she deemed it best to ignore the old man, continuing her gossip with Chi-Chi.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Again, thanks for the continued support. I know in the prequel I skipped some of the fights in the Namek Saga and some people didn't take too kindly to that. So, at the most, I'll touch on them as shown below and continue on. I won't skip anything, but at the same time...this is mostly canon material for now.

Questions:

coldblue: I'm not entirely sure what Piccolo's and Supreme Kai's dialogue will be yet. That's coming in the next chapter I think. And yes, if I do go into DBSuper, there will definitely be a timeskip of sorts. As for someone being dropped from the original tournament, you guessed it, alright. That's answered down below in this chapter. As for Beerus and Raditz, I haven't given that much thought honestly. Not yet, at least. I'm still trying to wrap my head around everything I want to do for the Buu Saga I'm prepping for. As for Tarble, I'm not sure what role I want him to play yet, but I want him to participate for sure. And as for Gohan and Dabura, I'll let you guys look forward to that one on your own. I have lots of little things in mind. Thanks for the suggestions as always, I _love_ the detailed feedback.

* * *

Chapter 5: Trunks vs Goten! Junior Division Concludes! Mysterious...Duo?!

* * *

Gohan impatiently tapped his foot against the concrete beneath him. Just how long did it take to finish calibrating the new punching machine? At this rate, he'd miss Trunks and Goten's fight. Heck, the Champion of the Junior Division would probably be decided by the time they finally got things up and running. It had been torturous just merely _hearing_ everything that was transpiring on the other side of the walls. The Saiyan teenager released an exasperated sigh as he peeked from behind the countless people in line before them. Wasn't there anything he could do? Anything at all?

"Hey," he called out somewhat impatiently, finally having enough of just waiting around in silence, "just what seems to be the problem? How much longer is it going to take?"

The two men operating on the punching machine halted their ministrations briefly, sending an apologetic look in the direction of all the other contestants. "We're sorry, but this process is time sensitive. Please bear with us for a little while longer."

Gohan visibly deflated with an exhale, his shoulders all but slumping in dejection. He never imagined things would go down south like this. All because Vegeta had to go and break the blasted punching machine. Then again, maybe he should have expected Vegeta to do such a thing. The Saiyan Prince was way too stubborn to listen to others sometimes, and despite the fact that he changed and came around a lot, Vegeta's stubbornness remained intact. When the next tournament came around, Gohan was definitely doing all necessary testing _before_ Vegeta. There was no way he was going to go through this again.

 _Ever._

"Don't worry, Gohan," Videl assured with a small smile and a hand on Gohan's shoulder. Unbeknownst to her, she had managed to jolt the teenaged male out of his thoughts, "I'm sure we'll make it. Even if you miss a little of it, there's no way you'll miss the whole thing."

The Great Saiyaman nodded distractedly, oblivious to the comforting gesture on Videl's behalf. Instead, the Saiyan forced his body to relax, his fists no longer clenched at his sides, "Yeah, you're right, Videl; thanks."

Gohan could only hope that Videl was right because it sure didn't look like things would be changing in his favor anytime soon.

~0~

"I wonder," Goku began out loud to no one in particular, his eyes scanning around for his son. He frowned when he didn't see any sight of him at all yet, continuing moments later, "What's taking Gohan and Videl so long? Now that I think about it they've nearly missed all of the Junior Division fights. After all, the only one left is Trunks and Goten."

Krillin diverted his eyes onto his best friend, lazily hanging over the railing, "Well, to be fair, Gohan didn't really miss anything to begin with. We all knew Goten and Trunks were going to advance to the finals anyway."

"True," Goku agreed with a shrug, "but that still doesn't change how they've been gone for an awful long time." The spiky-haired Saiyan pouted almost childishly.

Krillin chuckled, wriggling his eyebrows suggestively. "Maybe they're just spending some time getting to _know_ each other if you know what I mean."

Goku frowned. "Maybe, but I doubt it. Now that I think about it, they're probably still trying to qualify for the punching machine." The light-hearted Saiyan threw an almost accusatory glance at the flame-haired Saiyan leaning against the wall behind them, a teasing smile on his features, "So, I'd say we have Vegeta to thank for that."

The flame-haired Saiyan 'tsked', diverting his eyes away from his rival's in annoyance. It wasn't until his Saiyan ears picked up on the blonde announcer hyping up the fight between Goten and Trunks and finally giving the two the OK to start, that he diverted his eyes back onto the sight before him. He smirked. He already knew how this was going to end. Trunks was going to win for sure; there was just no doubt about it.

Raditz, on the other hand, curiously regarded his younger brother. He was certainly doing well to suppress his ki and Raditz would have no choice but to ask him directly about whether or not he made it to the next level. Though, Raditz was pretty sure Kakarot did, he needed to know for sure as he had some questions of his own. However...these weren't the type of questions he wanted to ask in front of Vegeta. Seeing as they weren't on the best of terms, he had no idea how Vegeta's training was progressing and definitely couldn't ask him directly.

Lest he wanted a handful of attitude from the Saiyan Prince - something of which he was in no mood to deal with.

Sure, Kakarot was back and for that, he was genuinely happy. It has been seven long years, after all, and they haven't seen each other since the whole Cell ordeal, but with 18 being on edge for the past two weeks, he could hardly concentrate. It was getting to the point where he could barely contain himself from caving and just asking her about it. They were mated and though he had no barrier up or filters up to his mind, she did have one up and respected that it would take her some time before she allowed them to completely drop.

The Saiyan's lip twitched, discreetly taking in her tense form behind him. She was off to the side, like Vegeta and Piccolo were, and she was leaning against the wall with her hands in her pockets. Her icy blue eyes were fixated on the very ground they were standing on and he could see her blonde brows furrow ever-so-slightly as she seemed indifferent. Though, Raditz wasn't fooled; his wife was in deep thought.

"Yoohoo!" Goku called out with his head cocked to the side in curiosity, waving his hand back and forth in Raditz's face.

Raditz blinked, diverting his eyes off of his wife and onto his brother. "What?"

Goku frowned. "You weren't listening to a word I said, were you? How rude."

The long-haired Saiyan distractedly muttered an 'apology', before cocking a brow. "What did I miss?"

Goku seemed pleased that Raditz was back with them, gesturing to the two boys going at it ferociously in the ring below them. "Check 'em out! They're pretty strong to be kids, huh? Was it you that trained Goten?"

Raditz shook his head 'no'. "Chi-Chi originally trained Goten. It was Gohan that trained Goten for the tournament, though."

Goku had nearly fell over himself at the revelation, Krillin all but doing the same in surprise. " _Whaaat_?! Chi-Chi trained Goten?! Are you serious?"

Raditz frowned slightly, but understood where his brother was coming from and didn't fault him in the slightest for his reaction. "I'm dead serious. I know it's hard to believe, but she has really loosened up since you've been gone."

"Oh, wow," Goku replied in disbelief, a slow smile etching across his features. "Well, I'll be. When I was alive she gave me a hard time about training with Gohan and to think _she_ ended up training Goten! Man! But if Chi-Chi trained Goten... then I know he's in good hands; Chi-Chi's incredibly strong." The Saiyan praised with a hearty smile.

The brothers diverted their eyes back onto the match just in time to see Goten throw a mean punch in Trunks's direction. However, the purple-haired kid easily halted it with a palm, leaping upwards and executing a hard twirl kick. Goten, Goku's look-a-like, had jerked his head back in the nick of time, pulling back with a few flips so as to put some distance between them. Trunks smirked, not all fazed and lunged towards Goten with a push of the feet, putting him on the receiving end of a barrage of punches and kicks.

All of which Goten seemed to be fending off with ease.

"Oh?" Trunks called out, "You're keeping up more so than I imagined."

Goten chuckled cheerily, nodding proudly. "Yep! I trained with Gohan for the tournament!"

The younger Saiyan all but dropped down and swept Trunks off of his feet with a leg, cocking a fist back and moving to punch him in the chest the minute Trunks landed on his back. Trunks narrowed his eyes, pulling his legs in and blocking the would be hit with the bottom of his shoes. A noticeable crater formed beneath Trunks, showcasing the raw power Goten had behind his tiny fists; however, Trunks remained seemingly unaffected.

Goten grinned, cocking his fist back and moving in for a punch once again. This time, he'd make sure this one connected. "Gotcha!" He exclaimed happily; however, the purple-haired Saiyan quickly pulled back and ascended to the skies as soon as the opportunity presented itself.

"Not so fast, pal."

Goten pouted slightly, recovering quickly and phasing in behind the purple-haired Saiyan and putting him in the full-nelson. "Now I got you, Trunks!"

Trunks released a low growl, but didn't panic. In the audience, he could clearly hear his mom shouting for him and he was well aware that his dad was watching as well. Trunks refused to disappoint either one of them. With a battle cry, the oldest of the two broke out of Goten's hold, quickly appearing behind him and sending him hurling towards the arena with a harsh kick.

Goten released a short cry of pain, managing to stop himself just before he could slam into the arena; however, Trunks expected this of his friend and hurled out a small energy blast of which collided into Goten's back and forcibly slammed him into the arena anyway.

Goten groaned upon impact, shakily pushing himself up to his hands and knees.

"Come on, Goten!" Chi-Chi could be heard cheering loudly. "You can do it, son!"

His mom's encouraging words seemed to have an effect on the small boy, the young Saiyan rolling over and firing out a Kamehameha wave with ease towards Trunks just as Trunks moved to go in for the finish.

"Whoa!" Trunks exclaimed, pulling back just before the attack could collide with his small frame. He smirked as he rushed towards his small friend. "I didn't know you had that up your sleeve."

Goten didn't back down from the challenge, charging towards Trunks with equal fervor. The two ferociously exchanged punches and kicks as they ascended to the skies once again. "Yeah! Well, I have plenty of tricks like that up my sleeve!"

Trunks didn't seem to buy Goten's story, merely chuckling in amusement. "Sure, sure."

Goten frowned, aware that Trunks didn't believe him. He pouted. He hated when Trunks did that. "I'm serious, Trunks! I really mean it!"

Trunks chuckled sneakily, aware that he was getting his friend riled up. Maybe if he could keep Goten like this, he could finish things once and for all and advance to face Hercule Satan, the infamous World Champion.

"I still don't believe you, you know."

Goten's brows furrowed even more if possible, the small child insisting that he was indeed telling the truth as he quickly encased himself in a white aura and moved to spear his best friend. Trunks all but side-stepped and this time put Goten in the full-nelson, tightening his grip on the younger boy when he tried to resist; however, it was more than obvious that it was futile. Trunks was physically stronger than Goten it seemed, and he even went as far as to ascend a little higher so as to make it a bit more difficult for Goten to escape his grasp.

"Come on, Goten!" Goku cheered from the sidelines. "I believe in you, buddy!"

Vegeta harrumphed, an arrogant smirk on his features as they watched Goten struggle. "Believe all you want, Kakarot. It seems that your boy is in a bit of a fix."

Goku opened his mouth to retort, a frown on his features, but quickly decided against it upon finally noticing Gohan and Videl show up. The infamous Saiyan quickly allowed a smile to take over his features as he hurried his son over with a wave. "Over here, son! You're a little late, but the fight's still going on!"

Gohan smiled as he came to a stop beside a quiet Tarble and the others. He was no doubt relieved. "Alright! I was a bit worried for a sec." He revealed, noting that Videl quickly came to a rest at his side.

The daughter of Hercule smiled, shooting a playful wink in Gohan's direction. "See, I told you not to worry, didn't I?"

Gohan nodded once, a faint smile apparent. "Yeah, but it looks like Goten's in a bit of a bind. He can't seem to get out of Trunks's full-nelson."

"Oh, no," Videl commented with wide eyes. "Poor kid."

To be honest, she didn't expect Goten to get out of such a hold as he seemed physically weaker than Trunks; however, before her and everyone's eyes, the youngest turned yellow all of a sudden and broke free of Trunks's grasp with ease. Videl's eyes widened as she watched in utter shock, noting that the others beside her weren't nearly as surprised as she was. Distractedly, Videl could hear the others mentioning something about 'being a Super Saiyan at that age', but she was too focused on how Goten looked just like Raditz and Gohan that day she came over to his uncle's house looking for him. Both Raditz and Gohan had that same yellow hair and yellow aura when they were training that day...just what were they?

Come to think of it, she didn't even ask him that day, either. She had been far immersed in something else; however, now was the best time to get to the bottom of her questions.

Videl swallowed thickly, turning to look at the tall teenager at her side. "Just...what's going on here, Gohan? What's with that yellow hair and yellow aura?"

"Uh," Gohan began nervously, sending her a smile that didn't reach his eyes, "It's a long story and I'll have to tell you some other time." He promised evasively.

As much as Videl wanted her questions answered at that very moment, she decided to remain silent and divert her eyes back onto the fight before them. If he said he'd have to tell her some other time, then she could only hope that he'd keep his word. Then again, he most likely would and that was nothing to worry about as he _did_ keep his word about teaching her how to fly. So, without further ado, Videl pushed her questions in the back of her head, watching on as Trunks and Goten continued their intense fight.

Eventually, just when it seemed this would continue on for longer than they thought, the fight finally concluded with Trunks winning as Goten was seemingly unable to stop himself from going out of bounds from one of Trunks's attacks. Videl smiled. Despite the fact that she and Gohan had caught the tail end of the fight, it was still good nonetheless.

"Well, then, looks like it's Trunks that gets to face my dad. I'm kinda jealous." Videl admitted aloud.

Krillin raised a brow and regarded the black-haired female in disbelief. "Uh, I don't think you have anything to be jealous about; trust me, Videl. This match will be over just as soon as it starts."

Videl looked somewhat offended, her brows furrowing together. "Huh _?_ What is that supposed to mean, Krillin?"

Gohan harshly elbowed Krillin in the side, forcing the smaller male to double over with wide eyes. Thinking quickly, he blocked Videl's line of sight with his body, regarding her sheepishly, "Don't mind, Krillin. He was just telling a bad joke."

Vegeta rolled his eyes at the sight, and while Tarble found the situation amusing, Vegeta did not. The Saiyan Prince harrumphed rudely. "I don't know what's more pathetic. The fact that she actually thinks a _loser_ such a Hercule can actually win or this horrible running gag you have going on, Gohan."

Videl's eyes snapped onto Vegeta's cold ones next, her brows furrowing even more if possible. "...loser? My dad isn't a loser." The petite woman was clenching her fists at her sides. "I don't know what you people have against my dad, but he's the World Champion for a reason, right Gohan?!"

Gohan didn't want to agree, but for the sake of dissuading the situation, he nodded. "Of course, Videl."

Vegeta 'tsked' and Krillin rolled his eyes at the amount of faith she had in her father. "Well, anyway," Krillin began, "I say we all go grab something to eat while we can. We pretty much know how this is going to turn out, after all."

"Yeah, sure!" Goku agreed with a smile. "Food sounds really good right now!"

"Hm." Vegeta agreed with his arms folded across his chest. Anywhere was better than here - where Gohan was making a complete fool out of himself. Like father, like son he supposed.

And while the others head off to grab some food, Videl stared after their backs in shock. How could they be that disinterested in the World Champion's fight? She couldn't understand it for the life of her. "Don't they want to see how my dad fights?"

"Uh, they're just a bit hungry is all." Gohan finally answered weakly. He didn't have the heart to tell her that no one was really interested in Hercule except for his fans and his own daughter. That was a bit too harsh for him to say - even for him. And sure, the jokes his friends threw around here and there were kinda funny, but he knew it would upset Videl and didn't want her getting riled up. They were friends, after all, and he wouldn't be a good friend if he didn't respect her feelings.

So, yet again, the two found themselves alone; though, neither one of them seemed to mind it one bit.

~0~

"Boy am I glad you mentioned food, Krillin! I was really starting to get hungry back there!"

The dead Saiyan was trailing behind Krillin and couldn't help but anxiously lick his lips in anticipation. He could practically smell the food beyond the two staff members and had moved to all but dash for it and leave the others behind.

At least until the male staff members pulled out a clipboard and quickly cut off an excited Goku, "Sorry, but beyond this point is for participants only. If you give me your names we can confirm everyone and _then_ allow you entry."

Vegeta was the only one that seemed the most annoyed about this, but nonetheless, everyone offered their names - including the stubborn Saiyan. Meanwhile, the male worker quickly dropped his eyes down to look over the clipboard and confirmed their identities within minutes, offering them a smile as he and his co-worker side-stepped and allowed them to pass. "Enjoy. Beyond this point we have buffets, sauna, and other activities we think you'll enjoy."

"Alright!" Krillin cheered happily. "Couldn't have asked for anything better!"

"Yeah, you said it!" Goku agreed with a grin.

Tarble smiled lightly at the interaction between the two males, a sense of longing hitting him. He had been watching Goku's interaction with Raditz and Krillin all day and if he wasn't mistaken, Goku and Raditz were siblings and Goku and Krillin were best friends; maybe one day, he and his brother would be as close as either of two the pairs. He had always desired a close bond with his brother, but never got the chance due to being sent off in space when he was a baby. It wasn't until years ago that they had finally reunited again, but despite living together and even training together these past years, Vegeta still remained a tough nut to crack.

Though, he'd be lying to himself if he said Vegeta hadn't changed somewhat. In fact, Vegeta has eased up considerably and Tarble was sure that Bulma, Trunks, and even Zangya and everyone else could tell. Maybe at this rate, it was only a matter of time before he slipped past a few of Vegeta's barriers as well.

"This place hasn't changed that much," Piccolo mulled to no in particular, unknowingly snapping Tarble out of his thoughts. The Namekian had been silently taking in the surroundings here and there ever since they arrived at the tournament and couldn't help but feel slightly nostalgic. He sure has come a long way. He would have never imagined him being where he was today. That was for sure. He made a snort of amusement to himself at the irony of things, ignoring the weird look Raditz sent his way and plopping down off to the side.

He wasn't all that hungry, after all.

Though, it seemed to be the complete contrary for his peers as everyone else except for him were eating. And as usual, Goku didn't have the slightest bit of manners. Raditz made a face of disgust as his brother all but messily demolished everything in sight. The food that somehow escaped his brother's mouth was scattering in nearly every direction. It was so unpleasant to watch that Raditz had trouble figuring out how Vegeta managed to sit directly beside the dead Saiyan and not mind. His thoughts on the matter quickly disappeared the minute he took to eating his own food, and couldn't help but wonder if Trunks was done with his match with Hercule yet.

At the most, it'll take the kid five minutes to settle things between them as Hercule wasn't as strong as he was hyped up to be.

Raditz's theory was quickly proven wrong as Gohan and Videl were joining them faster than the long-haired Saiyan expected, Videl remarking how Hercule let Trunks defeat him with a single blow. Of course, the others were aware that Hercule didn't let Trunks win, Trunks _did_ win. It was a big difference; however, no one seemed to have any interest on correcting the purple-haired petite female. Instead, Goku, having paused briefly, waved them both over and told them to 'dig in' - and so they did.

Just not as messily as Goku, of course.

And though there wasn't much chatter as everyone seemed to be eating for the most part, no one seemed to mind too much. Everyone seemed content with eating until they were full and then moving on to the tournament. With the Junior Division finished and Trunks crowned as the Champion, it was only right to get the adult tournament underway in order to see who would be taking Hercule Satan's World Champion belt home with them _and_ the prize money. So, after everyone was full and ready, the group headed off to see who would be fighting against who.

Unfortunately, they barely managed to make it halfway when a mysterious pair appeared before them, forcing them to ultimately come to a stop. And while Goku simply observed them in silence with a slight tilt of his head, Raditz all but had a bad feeling at the sight of the two. The long-haired Saiyan swallowed a little too heavily for his tastes as everything within him seemed to scream _'danger'._ The Saiyan barely realized that he had all but protectively blocked the duo's view of his blonde wife as a precautionary measure of sorts. Though, one glance in Piccolo's direction was all Raditz needed in order to see that Piccolo definitely felt what he felt.

Even Tarble seemed at unease and that alone spoke volumes.

"Well, well," The shorter white-haired male began with a smile, "It wasn't my intentions to put any of you on edge; I merely wanted to introduce myself to the infamous Goku."

Goku's stoic expression eased up slightly, "I see you've heard of me."

"It's hard not to with a reputation such as yourself," He replied easily. "I'm Shin, by the way and thoroughly look forward to fighting you."

Goku couldn't place it, but something about the contestant seemed...off. The spiky-haired Saiyan decided to shake it off, his eyes widening upon noticing the extended hand before him. He wanted to shake hands? Well then, Goku didn't see the harm in a simple handshake and didn't hesitate in offering his hand for the much smaller, purple-skinned male to take. Then, with a smile, the two were gone just as quickly as they appeared; it was odd and Piccolo immediately declared that the two of them were not to be trusted at all costs.

"Well, I guess we'll just have to see whether or not you're intuition is true, Piccolo."

Though, it was clear Goku hoped it wasn't as Piccolo stated, the male continued his trek towards where the other contestants were as if they hadn't been interrupted by the mysterious duo. Of course, the others trailed behind the spiky-haired Saiyan and in no time, they were before the contestants and the infamous blonde haired announcer. Immediately, upon the last of the fighters arrival, the announcer instructed everyone to grab a ball out of the box and according to the numbers on the ball they chose, they'd be arranged into eight two-on-two matches.

So, one by one, having been called by their names to come forth, they all picked a ball out of the box and presented it to the announcer.

"Alright," the announcer commented once everyone's names were written on the board according to the number they picked. "There you have it, folks! In the first match, it'll be Tarble vs Krillin, followed by Shin vs Piccolo in the second match. As for the third match, it'll be Videl Satan vs Spopovitch, followed by Gohan vs Kibito in the fourth, and then 18 vs Hercule in the fifth match!" The announcer all but grinned at the next line up, more than ecstatic at the two fighters in the sixth match.

"Afterwards we'll have Goku vs Vegeta, Mighty Mask vs Raditz, and the eighth match is none other than Killa vs Jewel." The blonde announcer finished up with a giddy grin as there were a few match-ups he was dying to see. Unfortunately, he had no choice but to be patient, but he was sure it'd be well worth the wait.

"Alright! Let's begin the first match! Krillin and Tarble, you're up!"


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Everyone's support is very much appreciated.

Superbluebop: Thanks! That means a lot!

gamelover41592: No worries!

Guest: No worries! Hope your phone situation is fixed! And honestly, I'm still trying to keep Raditz rough around the edges...it's just hard to write at times. Also, I'm definitely working towards an eventual relationship repair between Vegeta and Raditz.

coldblue: As always I love the detailed reviews and suggestions! Very helpful! As for the questions: 1) Yes, we're going to see more about how Videl feels about Gohan's family in the next chapter for sure. 2) The Krillin vs Tarble fight is in this very chapter so I hope that'll answer your question after you read it. 3) Without revealing too much, I will say that Raditz will definitely face Buu...but I won't say what version or at what point just yet. 4) Piccolo is definitely stronger, yes, but I have not given it any thought about how Piccolo and Buu's fight will differ just yet. 5) As for Android 17 and Zangya, I'm still trying to wrap my head about what I'm going to do with those two. And Tien and Launch are bound to show up later on. 6) As for Raditz vs Mighty Mask...that question will be answered next chapter. It's almost done. Chapter 7 is roughly at about 4,000 words and I still feel like I have a lot more I need to add, so Chapter 7 may end up being a pretty long chapter.

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Geez, sorry guys! I was going to update chapters 6 & 7 _together,_ but chapter 7 is taking me longer than I'd like so I decided to go ahead and release chapter 6.

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Chapter 6: Videl's Fight. Gohan's Promise.

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Krillin blinked owlishly. He was going to fight...Tarble? The former monk wasn't sure how to feel about this, but, as messed up as it may sound, it could be much worse. While he was indeed fighting a Saiyan, he at least wasn't fighting against his best friend, Vegeta, Raditz or Piccolo. Heck, even Gohan wouldn't be the ideal opponent he wanted to fight against. Realistically speaking, even though Tarble was of Saiyan blood, Tarble was definitely the weakest out of the bunch of brutes. Krillin shook his head from side to side as to shake away his thoughts. After all, should he really be thinking anything like that? It felt wrong for a reason he couldn't yet identify.

The former monk swallowed thickly, forcing his tense body to relax before trekking into the center of the ring. The blonde announcer was watching off to the side excitedly and Krillin couldn't help but wish he could share in the announcer's eagerness. Krillin sighed, tightening the drawstring on his khaki pants before sliding into his fighting stance. On the bright side, Tarble did look equally nervous as him and that somewhat seemed to boost his morale. The only thing he could do was give it his all and hope for the best. And without further ado, Krillin pushed his thoughts into the back of his head and prepped himself to take on Tarble.

Tarble did the same, bowing politely before sliding into his own fighting stance.

"Alright! Looks like our fighters are squared up and ready to go! Without further ado, let's get this show on the road!"

Without an ounce of hesitation, Krillin lunged forwards towards the short-haired Saiyan with a short battle cry, deciding to make the first move. And, just before he was within range of Tarble, Krillin phased out of sight and appeared behind a surprised Tarble. The Saiyan whirled around with wide eyes and pulled back with a leap in order to avoid a kick to the back; however, Krillin was already prepared and firing out a ki blast towards the ground and summoning airborne debris. The young Saiyan instinctively took to the skies, unaware that Krillin was already behind him as the monk had phased in behind Tarble and Krillin had all but sent Tarble hurling back towards the ring with a harsh knee to the back.

Tarble released a pained grunt, eyes still clenched shut from the debris; nonetheless, Tarble managed to right himself on his feet before he could slam into the concrete below him.

"Tarble!" Vegeta called out in annoyance, arms crossed over his chest as he watched from aside Goku and the others. "Just what is it you think you're doing?" The Saiyan Prince had a heavy scowl on his features as he looked on with berating onyx eyes. Vegeta couldn't believe his brother let his guard down so early in the fight.

"Hey, relax, Vegeta." Goku stated with a light smile, shoulders shaking slightly as he laughed a bit. This earned him a glare from the Prince; nevertheless, Goku remained unfazed, "I'm sure it'll all work out."

In response, Vegeta harrumphed, and Tarble, on the other hand, quickly found himself on the defensive as soon as he was free of the debris that dared to hinder his eye sight. Nonetheless, Tarble parried off Krillin's ferocious combo, frowning minutes into Krillin's attack. Something didn't seem right to the Saiyan. Was he still feeling uneasy about the fight or did this feeling have to do with something else? Tarble soon got his answer the moment he realized he was near the edge of the ring and he couldn't help but wonder when that happened. His eyes widened as he quickly pieced everything together.

His only experience with fighting was with Vegeta, and while Vegeta had a more direct way of fighting for the most part, it was clear that the smaller male before him was quite the opposite. While Vegeta would probably have too much pride to win by means of a ring-out, it was clear that Krillin was more of a strategic fighter and winning by any means - including ring outs - was still a win to him. In other words, he couldn't expect from Krillin what he would expect from Vegeta. Having said that, Tarble phased out of sight, appearing behind Krillin and moving to slam his leg into the smaller male's back.

Krillin's eyes widened, flying backwards and nearly out of bounds had he not fired a ki blast towards the ground in order to propel himself back into the ring. The former monk slid back into his fighting stance upon touching back down into the ring. This was going to take far more effort than Krillin originally thought. Luckily, he still had a few more tricks up his sleeve; though, to his surprise, Tarble was lunging towards him this time and quickly putting him on the defensive with hard punches and kicks.

It would seem that Tarble was onto him; however, maybe - just maybe - if Tarble continued to listen to Bulma and didn't ascend to Super Saiyan he just might have a chance. Then again, Tarble could be holding back so in order not to hurt him. Krillin's brows furrowed slightly. If that was the case, then it was only a matter of time before he lost and he needed to act before then lest it'd be too late. Krillin absentmindedly dodged a kick to the side by leaping upwards - or so he thought, as it turned out to be a feint at the last minute.

'Oh, no!' Krillin cried out mentally with wide eyes, crossing his arms over his chest just in time to avoid taking Tarble's ki blast to the chest. The force from the attack alone was enough to send the former monk flying backwards and out of the ring. The male looked behind him and frowned. If he didn't do anything, he'd go out of bounds; however, if he did do something and phased out of sight, then the people behind him would be in the line of fire so to speak. But then again, this was Tarble he was fighting here. He was nothing like Vegeta and most likely would change the direction of his attack the moment he moved out of the way in order to avoid hurting the civilians.

Then, he could phase in behind Tarble and force him out of bounds with his destructo disc and catch him off guard with his solar flare. Afterwards, once Tarble was stunned Krillin decided that he'd either finish it off with a ki blast or a kick. Either way, it was a good plan and as long as he executed it without fail, he just might be able to win. He'd just have to do it quick as the longer their fight continued, the harder it'd be to catch the Saiyan off guard.

So, Krillin did just that, making the split-decision to phase from behind Tarble's attack so as to execute his plan. Though, to his surprise and misfortune, the moment Krillin moved to phase from behind the attack, a Super Saiyan Tarble was before him with lightning speeds and slamming Krillin down into the grass outside the ring with a harsh knee. Eyes wide and spluttering up blood, Krillin slammed into the ground with a grunt, having utterly been caught off guard.

The civilians in the stadium seemed rather shocked about the fight between the two, as the fight reminded them of the unusual fight between Goten and Trunks; however, they quickly seemed to get over the state of shock for what had to be the millionth time that day upon hearing the announcer.

"OHHH!" The stunned announcer yelled excitedly, tightly griping the microphone in his hand with a wide grin, "And there we have it folks! Tarble will advance to the next round!"

The crowd roared heartily and the announcer gave them a moment to get it out of their systems, before continuing, "Alright folks! If you enjoyed that fight then I know you'll really enjoy this next fight! Let's give it up for our second match: Piccolo vs the mysterious Shin!"

Meanwhile, as the announcer got the spectators hype for the next fight, Krillin dejectedly made it back to where the others were alongside Tarble, a frown on his features as he couldn't help but sulk a bit. He had the perfect plan thought out and he didn't even get to execute it. Perhaps if he would've went that plan from the start, he would've had a much better chance.

"That was a good fight." Tarble offered kindly, a smile on his features.

The small monk sourly regarded the male before caving with a sigh minutes later. When he looked like that, Krillin found it hard to be mad at someone who appeared just as gentle and kind-hearted as Goku. Krillin smiled back lightly, nodding. "It sure was. Next time I won't go down like that, though."

Tarble nodded, his smile widening as they both came to a stop aside the group. "Of course."

Krillin nodded once, diverting his eyes onto an approaching Piccolo to give him a thumbs up and encourage him with his fight; however, the Namekian seemed to be out of character and lost in thought. Was he that bent out of shape about Shin than he originally thought? The Namekian was literally sweating bullets and to see Piccolo so uneasy was making Krillin feel the same. Just what had happened while he was fighting Tarble? "Hey, Goku," Krillin addressed with a cocked brow, "what's the matter with Piccolo?"

However, before Goku could answer, a nonchalant Vegeta had did the honors, "Who knows why the Namekian is so intimidated by a half pint? Guess we'll find out soon enough, won't we?"

"I guess so." Goku agreed distractedly, mentally trying to figure out what was going on inside Piccolo's head as well.

"The way I see it," Raditz interjected calmly, "is that Piccolo may have a lead about something that we don't know. After all, it's not often that Piccolo or any one of us gets intimidated to such an extent without reason." The long-haired Saiyan justified, quieting down when Piccolo was within obvious earshot. Shin was trailing behind him quietly and it didn't take long for them to reach the ring. If Piccolo had heard any of them talking about what was going on, the Namekian didn't say a thing when he walked past; nor, did he spare any of them a glance.

Piccolo, on the other hand, could feel their eyes boring into his back but keep his gaze straight ahead. To the others, he may have been acting strange, but if they suspected what he suspected, then they'd be in the same state that he was in. There was just no doubt about it. Even so, he could only hope that his suspicion was not so. Piccolo swallowed thickly, taking in the smirk on Shin's face. The purple-skinned male was parallel to him and was regarding him as if he was aware that he was onto his identity or something similar. But then, if his suspicions were dead on, then why would the Grand Kai be here?

And why was he interested in Goku?

Piccolo frowned as Shin's expression definitely wasn't easing his anxiety in the slightest.

"Uh..." The announcer began slowly, head cocked to the side. "You two are going to start fighting soon, right?"

Shin didn't answer the blonde announcer, and neither did Piccolo. The Namekian couldn't take his eyes off of the shorter male before him. Ever since he first saw the male, he knew something was off about him and to think that he would eventually come to the suspicion that the Grand Kai was here and in the ring with him no less. Not to mention Piccolo was paralyzed and seemed unable to move from his spot in order to attack not even five minutes in. Piccolo closed his eyes momentarily. He couldn't do this. He wouldn't be able to do anything until he came to the bottom of Shin's true identity for sure. The only way to get information and know for sure was to ask him directly - in the center of the ring wasn't the appropriate place to do so, however.

"I'm sorry," Piccolo apologized regrettably, turning around and trekking back out of the ring. He ignored the disappointed gasps from the spectators and the announcers as he had back to where the others were, "I forfeit."

The Namekian ignored the stunned faces of Raditz and his comrades, trekking past them and ignoring their questions as he maneuvered to the back of the room. In silence, he patiently waited for Shin to walk towards him and discreetly turned to face the male just as he was about to pass him. "Forgive me for being so blunt, but are you the Grand Kai?"

Shin, smile still plastered on his face, shook his head. "No. I'm no such thing."

Piccolo frowned, eyes wide. "But - "

"- don't be mistaken," Kibito intervened, revealing his presence to the confused Namekain. "The one that is before you is not the Grand Kai, but the Supreme Kai."

Piccolo's eyes widened even more if possible, mouth agape as he dared to repeat what he was just told. "...Supreme Kai?"

"That's right." Shin confirmed.

"But why?" Piccolo inquired with wide eyes. "Why are you here? And why are you so interested in Goku?"

Shin chuckled, "All of your questions will be answered in due time, Piccolo; however, I ask that you keep this information to yourself until the time arises."

Piccolo barely had time to respond, before Shin and his red-skinned counterpart was out of sight. The duo left a stunned and thoroughly shaken up Piccolo behind. His thoughts were literally running a mile a minute and it seemed that going to Shin directly not only left most of his questions unanswered, but left him feeling even more uneasy for what was to come according to those two.

"Piccolo," Raditz called out, trekking towards the panicked Namekian moments later. "What's going on?"

Piccolo seemed to snap out of his daze, regarding Raditz quietly for a minute before regaining his composure somewhat. "I can't say." He revealed vaguely. "At least not right now."

Raditz watched as Piccolo regrouped with the others, noting that his fists were clenched. Was seeing Piccolo like this really enough to have him on edge? For some reason, seeing one of the calmest people you know suddenly freaked out was...intimidating. Not to mention that Piccolo couldn't even reveal what it was that he knew. Raditz swallowed slowly. Just what the hell was going on around here?

"Raditz." 18 called out stoically, locking her icy blue eyes onto his black ones, "What is it? Did he tell you what the big fuss was about?"

The long-haired Saiyan shook his head, "Don't worry about it." He stated simply, walking away from his blonde wife. After all, she already seemed on edge as it is. There was no need in making her worry even further. The burly Saiyan didn't dare look back in his wife's direction as he regrouped with the others. He could practically feel the frown on her delicate features. Gohan sent him a look. "Everything okay, Uncle Raditz?"

"Yeah," he mumbled distractedly. Then he cocked a brow at the weird expression that was now on Gohan's face. "Is everything okay with _you_?"

Gohan laughed a bit. "I'm just excited about Videl's fight! She's fighting Spopovich and I just know she'll have the advantage in this one! This will be an easy match for sure!"

Raditz followed his nephew's line of sight, taking in the two figures on the ring. As he stated, Videl was fighting Spopovich and she seemed to be holding her own pretty well. The long-haired Saiyan mentally noted that unlike her father, she actually had pretty decent skill in the ring. If that was the case, then maybe this fight wouldn't take long and at this rate, they'd be done with tournament in no time.

Similarly, Videl, like Raditz, couldn't help but think that her match would be over in no time. She clearly had the upper-hand and had the burly man before her on the defensive, sending him every which way with attacks. She smiled confidently as she ended her assault with a hard kick to his face before flipping backwards in order to take in her handy work. Though, to her surprise, he was...smirking? Videl narrowed her purple eyes, charging for the arrogant male once more. The daughter of Hercule Satan was spurred on by the calls and cheers of her name, and not only that, she refused to look bad in front of Gohan and her friends.

She could do this.

Her friends believed her and so did she.

So with that in mind, Videl threw a fury of punches at the male, ending her assault with one final punch to the face. "Take that!" She declared fiercely, sending the bigger male flying backwards and landing on his back.

In the background, the crowed roared wildly for Videl, thinking that the young warrior had obtained victory already.

Or so everyone thought, at first, but the male was rising to his feet again in a matter of minutes.

Initially, Videl was shocked that he managed to recover so quickly but she nonetheless lunged for him again, repeating her brutal assault with more force behind it this time. However, for a reason unbeknownst to Videl and everyone else, it seemed to turn into a endless cycle of sorts as the match continued on: she'd lay him flat on his back and think she won, only for the male to get up again with that same creepy smirk of his and prove that she didn't.

Goku frowned. "Something's not right about this."

A wide-eyed Krillin agreed with a nod, blinking owlishly, "You can definitely say that again. I really don't know what's going to happen from here on out, but I have a really bad feeling about this!"

"Yeah," Gohan agreed with a frown, "So do I. The only problem is I know Videl will be way too proud and stubborn to give up should she have to."

And true to Gohan's word, when Spopovich eventually began turning the tables on a unsuspecting Videl, relentlessly pounding her into near oblivion, Videl refused to give up. At some point, the daughter of Videl had tried to escape to safety for a bit by flying, but that proved futile as Spopovich showed that he wasn't foreign to taking to the skies at all.

"Oh, no," Gohan muttered helplessly, as he watched on as Videl was mercilessly pummeled, "this is bad!" The young Saiyan couldn't help but wonder why she was so set on staying on the ring and fighting. Sure, she was putting up a fight here and there, but it was clear that Spopovich was just toying around with her. All the while having that sadistic smirk on his features. Gohan couldn't help but scowl at the thought.

And the sight.

He clenched his fists. He really didn't know what was worse, the fact that he had to watch this from the sidelines and endure Videl's pained screams or the fact that Spopovich was clearly enjoying his handiwork. Gohan growled as the male ruthlessly continued to pummel her. Why wouldn't she just give up already? He didn't know how much more of this he could watch without intervening. After all, Spopovich had even went as far as to catch her when she was about to fall out of the ring just to pummel her further for his own enjoyment and amusement. Couldn't she see what he was doing? And that she couldn't defeat him? Without Gohan being aware of it, a white aura was already beginning to develop around him.

"Gohan," Goku called out from beside him, eyeing him cautiously, "calm down, son."

"To be fair," Krillin interjected from aside his best friend with furrowed brows, "I don't think I'd be able to calm down if someone was out their hurting my girlfriend either."

Goku diverted his black eyes onto his best friend, frowning at the former monk. "You're not helping here, Krillin."

The black-haired male chuckled nervously despite the situation, sheepishly scratching the back of his head. "Sorry, buddy, but it's the truth. Heck, even Raditz isn't saying anything to stop Gohan because he probably would've intervened as well."

"That does it!" Gohan stated suddenly, his white aura transforming into a golden one. He lunged to go intervene in the fight himself as he couldn't bare to hear her screams or see her viciously beat anymore.

No one deserved this - especially not Videl.

And just before he made it to the purple-eyed woman beneath Spopovich's boot, a man of which resembled Spopovich appeared off to the side, demanding that he stopped fooling around this instant. By the looks of things, Spopovich had no choice in the matter and listened to Yamu's orders, calmly kicking the limp girl out of the ring.

Gohan's eyes widened, quickly dropping out of his SSJ state and rushing to her side and kneeling down beside her battered form. She looked horrible and it pained Gohan to see her this way and not her usual spunky and feisty self.

"Oh, thank God," the announcer claimed in relief, "the fight's finally over! I didn't think I could bear to watch anymore!"

Gohan paid the blonde announcer no mind, gingerly scooping Videl up in his arms and standing up. "I'll see to it that Videl safely gets to the hospital. Do you mind delaying the next match a bit?"

"Sure thing, kid," the announcer agreed, tightening his hold on the microphone and turning to face the crowd, "Alright, folks, after such a brutal fight...why don't we take a bit of a break before we get into our fourth match! Soon as word gets back of Videl's condition, we'll continue things right away with Gohan vs Kibito!"

Without saying a word, Gohan rushed past the others and to the infirmary. Briefly, he did notice that his father was gone and could only hope that he went to go grab a few senzu beans from Korin. His heart was pounding anxiously against his chest despite knowing that in due time Videl would be okay. The small girl groaned in his arms, and Gohan sent her a pitied look. He couldn't imagine how much pain she was in. Kami knows she sure did take quite the beating and while his primary concern was getting Videl to the infirmary now, later he would definitely make Spopovich pay for what he did to Videl.

After all, Gohan refused to allow him to get away with such a thing.

Not only did he use excessive force, but he also made her cry.

That was beyond unacceptable to the young Saiyan.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Thanks for the support. Took a while due to being busy with work and mid-terms. Not to mention, this chapter is a lot shorter than I expected. I'm going to try to go back to weekly/bi-weekly updates.

Now for the questions:

coldblue: 1) I haven't considered a side story like that for Zangya and 17, to be honest. 2) Yes, Vegeta does have a chance of achieving SSJ3, I'm just not sure of the specifics just yet. I do like Vegeta as a character and I want him to be stronger and he won't be behind for long. 3) And while that is a pretty neat idea, Raditz and 18 have not had any conversations like that with Marise and Taro. Like you said, that could be great motivation for Marise and Taro to train and get stronger. I agree with that a lot, actually. 4) And yes, I recently watched Yu Yu Hakusho over the summer and I liked it. And maybe if there's a story idea I come up with, I'll do a short story on it. 5) I'm not sure if I'll do another DBZ fic but if I was to do another one and one on a human warrior at that, it'd be Tien for sure.

As for your suggestions, I do agree about how interesting it'd be to have a side story on 17 and Zangya as well as going into depth about Marise and Taro realizing the terror of Majin Buu and the danger that's to come. Goten and Trunks did get emotional during the Majin Buu arc and I expect the same for Marise and Taro as you stated. Also, I think I agree with the part about Kuwabara. He had a lot of potential to be honest but they wasted it kinda. And I actually like HunterxHunter more than Yu Yu Hakusho. Killua and Kurapika and Hisoka are my favorites from HunterxHunter and I like Kurama, Yusuke, and Koenma from Yu Yu. They're both good series though.

I think I addressed everything. Hopefully, there's not too many errors. I skimmed it briefly but it is pretty late right now.

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Chapter 7: Bibidi, Babidi, Buu!

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Videl sat up with wide purple eyes and immediately noted that she felt...fine? The daughter of Hercule couldn't believe her eyes...or rather her body. Whatever it was that Gohan gave her helped her recuperate tremendously; it was almost as if the whole fight with Spopovich never happened. Curiously, she moved her limbs a bit, further confirming that she was back to normal. Videl's blank expression faded, a smile quickly forming on her features instead. It was almost too much to believe.

That much was more than clear by the expression on her father's and doctor's faces.

"Videl?" Hercule called out in confusion, addressing her slowly. "Are you okay?"

Videl sent her dad a wide smile, nodding once. "All better, dad!"

Hercule blinked owlishly, sharing a look of disbelief with the small doctor beside him. Just what did that Gohan kid give his baby-girl? As far as he could tell, it had just looked like some average bean that happened to be green. There was just no way that a bean could have magical healing powers...was there? The World's Champion swallowed thickly. What else was there? Were pigs actually going to start flying around next? Were _apes_ going to take over the world? Were they going to be invaded by aliens any minute now? Nothing made any sense at all! What was that kid doing with such a powerful bean or rather, more importantly, what was he doing around _his_ little girl?

Didn't he specifically tell him to stay away from his daughter after Gohan brought her up here? Yet, the little brat still dared to show his face around again. Hercule harrumphed. Gohan definitely wasn't getting that autograph for helping his daughter out now. And it was no one's fault but his own. He'd rather die then let someone dare try to sweep Videl off of her feet; he wouldn't allow it.

He refused to.

That boy was probably the reason why Videl lost the match to Spopovich now that he further thought about it. He was probably out there distracting her with his charm and whatnot. Hercule narrowed his eyes and diverted them onto his daughter, "Videl! How did you manage to lose to such a weakling? I fought him in the last tournament and he shouldn't have been able to give you any trouble at all."

Videl's smile disappeared, her head hanging slightly as she clenched the hospital sheets at her side. "I know but," Videl paused briefly, her mind recalling the fight that left her nearly dead, "something was different about him." The purple-haired teen thought about her next words carefully before diverting her eyes onto her father's matching ones. She was struggling to find the right words to describe the opponent she faced. "He definitely wasn't normal. There was just no way."

"Well, then," Hercule responded after a minute or two, "Don't you worry about a thing, Videl; I handled him last tournament and I'll handle him _again!_ I'm surprised they even let that weakling back into the tournament after last year."

"Of course, dad," Videl replied distractedly, moving to get out of the hospital bed. Now that she felt better, she could support Gohan in his match against Kibito. It was the least she could do after he saved her, after all.

"Now wait just a minute," Hercule began, maneuvering over towards his daughter, "just where do you think you're going, Videl?"

"I'm going to go support Gohan." She replied without looking back at her dad. Videl had made it seem as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, missing the appalled expression on Hercule's face as she distractedly continued to look for her shoes. "I'm going to have to grab my change of clothes out of my room and shower before I go down, though."

"No way!" Hercule hastily declared, snapping out of his daze at the sound of Gohan's name. "Stay away from him, Vi - "

" - See you later, dad!" Videl interrupted, quickly dashing out of the room once she had her shoes on and leaving both her dad and doctor behind in the hospital room. She chuckled to herself, imagining the expression on their faces. He'd definitely be mad at her later, but it would definitely be worth it.

~0~

Gohan blinked owlishly, taking in the towering male before him. Just what was he getting at here? And how did he know that he was a Saiyan? Nothing was adding up here, and Gohan couldn't figure out what reason Kibito would have to want him to transform. Was his opponent plotting something or did Kibito really think he could take him at full power? The Saiyan was visibly torn between the two.

"Well," Kibito prodded impatiently, "Aren't you going to transform into a Super Saiyan?"

What made matters worse was that Kibito didn't seem as if he was going to let the whole 'transformation thing' die down. Gohan sighed, closing his eyes as he continued to debate it over in his head a bit. He could only imagine what would happen if word got out about this one at school. His life definitely wouldn't change for the better and everyone would think he was a freak for sure. But, then again, it wasn't as if his opponent was exactly giving him a choice, now was he?

"Well?" Kibito prodded again, arms hanging idly at his sides as he regarded the young male. He seemed to be debating something and he and the Supreme Kai needed this to happen as this was a crucial part in their plan. They couldn't afford to mess up here. Not when they were so close. Not to mention that Spopovich and Yamu were close by and would most likely make their move as predicted.

Luckily, Gohan seemed to come to a decision, stating that he'd go even beyond Super Saiyan since he was so desperate to see his Saiyan powers. So, without further ado, Kibito watched as Gohan clenched his fists and spread his legs apart, releasing a grunt as he begun to power up. From around them, the concrete ring was beginning to rumble and fall apart and the spectators had grown oddly quiet as they watched on in wide-eyed silence.

Meanwhile the Supreme Kai looked on from beside the others as Gohan began his transformation, "This is going to sound strange," the shorter male began sternly, "but I need you to trust me. The minute Gohan finishes transforming, Spopovich and Yamu are going to attack him."

Raditz cocked a brow at this. Why the hell were they just now hearing about this? If he didn't know any better, he'd say the male before them all knew what was going on. The long-haired Saiyan narrowed his eyes accusingly,"What do you mean attack?"

"Well," The Supreme Kai continued, "perhaps I should be a little clearer; by 'attack' his life will not be in danger. Spopovich and Yamu are only going to drain Gohan's energy and I need you guys - all of you - to stay out of it and not interfere."

Vegeta harrumphed. "And just why should we trust _you_?"

"Vegeta!" Piccolo chastised before he could stop himself, black eyes narrowed at the flame-haired Saiyan. "Have some respect for once; that's the Supreme Kai you're talking to!"

Vegeta's eyes had all but widened at the revelation, gaping in pure shock, "...Supreme Kai?"

"That's right." The shorter, purple-skinned male agreed. "But, as of right now, there are more important things than my status right now." Discreetly, Shin diverted his eyes onto Spopovich and Yamu literally readying themselves to pounce on the poor unsuspecting Gohan, and the shocked Z-fighters followed his gaze.

"Earlier," Goku began slowly, "You mentioned that they were going to take his energy? Just what do they plan on doing with it? Why do they need it?"

Shin didn't have time to answer, his eyes widening as Gohan completed his transformation and Yamu and Spopovich jumped out. Quickly, the Supreme Kai stretched out his arms and presented his palms towards the SSJ2 Gohan. It was quite hard to do so, but Shin managed to restrain him at the last minute; grimacing slightly at Gohan's pained scream when they shoved their energy suction device into his side.

"Gohan!" Videl called with wide eyes, drowning out Krillin's call of Gohan's name. Her purple eyes were wide and this was not the sight she expected to see upon coming down to see Gohan fight. She was barely able to process that his identity was out in the open for everyone to see as Gohan was very conscious about that. Videl grimaced upon hearing his pained screams, his lifeless eyes almost too much for her to bare. She angrily whirled around to face the others. Why were they just standing there?

"Why aren't you guys helping him? What's going on?!" She demanded, her eyes darting between Goku, Raditz, and his friends.

None of them would answer her and that did little to curb her growing anger.

Videl's purple eyes narrowed further, opening her mouth to say something else; however, it seemed as if a certain blonde had something to say as well.

"What's going on here?" 18 demanded, pushing her way up to the front. Her icy blue eyes quickly took in Videl's distraught expression as well as the others idly standing by as her oldest nephew was...attacked? She could feel his energy dipping substantially. She snapped her icy blue eyes onto Raditz's black ones immediately, " _Raditz!_ "

The blonde android didn't give Raditz, nor anyone else for that matter, any time to respond as she was already flying towards the ring to assist her nephew; however, her husband quickly grabbed her by the ankle. "Stop and listen to me for just a minute."

"Let go." She warned mid-air. "Gohan's in trouble and if you won't help our nephew, _I_ will."

Raditz's eyes narrowed, insulted that she would even say anything like that. "It's not like that - "

The irritated blonde was twirling around and sending her husband flying backwards with a kick to the chest, the male releasing a "oomph!" as he practically slammed into the other side of the wall.

Goku and the others comically paled at the sight, the dead Saiyan's eyes just as wide as everyone else's. He panicked when 18's icy blue eyes diverted on to his next as if daring him to stop him. Goku frantically put his hands up, fearing he'd be next if he didn't hurriedly explain. "Gohan's not in any trouble! I promise!"

18's eyes widened at Goku's words. "Wha - "

But Raditz had phased in front his wife, pulling her into a bear hug with ease now that he was powered up. Eyes teal, he scowled at his wife, careful not to hurt her and all but cutting off whatever she had in mind to say to his brother. "Shit, 18! That really hurt, damn it!"

Despite the situation, she sarcastically replied with a, "That was the point."

"Had you not attacked me, you'd see that Gohan is perfectly fine." Raditz chastised irritably. "This is all the Supreme Kai's idea and he didn't want us interfering, lest we would've for sure."

18 blinked, and Raditz sensing that she was calm now, powered down and placed her back on her feet. "We don't even have the full answers ourselves, but - "

" - But," Shin interjected quickly, nodding his head towards the ring. Yamu and Spopovich were no longer draining Gohan's energy as not only did Gohan's pained screams finally stop but he was lying motionless on the ground. Luckily, Kibito was skilled when it came to healing. "If you all follow me, I promise I'll answer everyone's questions and tell you what's really going on."

"Alright!" Goku agreed, "That sounds like a plan to me!"

"Good," The Supreme Kai replied. "I could really use the help. It'll take some time for Kibito to finish healing Gohan, so I say we let Gohan and Kibito catch up when he's healed."

"Now, wait just a minute," Vegeta began with narrowed eyes, angrily scowling at Goku as he approached the taller male suspiciously. "Where do you think you're going? Our match is coming up and you should know by now that I want nothing more than to finally defeat you, Kakarot!"

Goku released an exasperated sigh at the shorter male before him. " _Geez_ , I get it, Vegeta! If you're that concerned with our fight why don't you just tag along?!"

Vegeta harrumphed. "Maybe I will. I refuse to allow you to slither your way out of this one; you're only allowed here for one day, you oaf!"

"Alright, alright!" Goku insisted sheepishly. "For the last time, I understand! I promise we'll have our fight, but if we just stand around here and waste even more time, then we'll never make it back in time!"

"Whatever." Vegeta grumbled, diverting his eyes onto Shin.

Shin looked taken aback before realizing that Vegeta was waiting on him to lead the way. "...Alright, then." Shin muttered slowly, taking to the skies. "Follow me and I'll fill you in on the way there."

And without further ado, the Z-fighters left one after one after Shin. Raditz and 18 were the only ones to remain behind.

"You can go if you want, " 18 stated coolly, "but I'm staying here for the tournament; I plan on winning it."

"It's fine. " Raditz dismissed after some thought. "If I sense anything is amiss, I'll join them with Instant Transmission. I doubt there's any need for me with Kakarot, Vegeta, Piccolo and Krillin going. Not to mention that Gohan will most likely go with them as well."

~0~

"Alright," Goku began with a cocked eyebrow, "so what exactly is going on here?"

"Well, for starters," Shin began calmly, "there was this wizard many years ago, back when Earth was still developing, named Bibidi. He wasn't physically strong and was rather small in build, but he had the astounding power to control others using even the slightest of darkness in their hearts. He was just as evil as he was a powerful wizard and he seemed dead-set on destroying the world. He accomplished most of his plan with a evil creature he named Majin Buu."

"Majin Buu?" Piccolo echoed curiously, his onyx eyes widening as his thoughts distractedly began to run a mile a minute.

"Yes," Shin verified with a nod, "His name was Majin Buu and he was immensely powerful and was a force to be reckoned with. He destroyed planets and universes and even galaxies along his master Bidibi with hardly any effort at all and had no feelings or conscience at all. His sole purpose was to destroy and even the five Grand Kai's, whom made Frieza look like small fry, had trouble with him and only one of the five remains today; that's how powerful Majin Buu is."

Vegeta's eyes widened, not believing his ears. This Majin Buu character made Frieza look like small fry? If he would have heard such a thing years back, he wouldn't have believed it. However, after everything he experienced and the "villians" he has fought since then, he knew better than to doubt what the Supreme Kai was stating.

"To make matters even worse," Shin continued with a frown, "Bibidi eventually had trouble controlling him and had to cast a spell in order to keep Majin Buu confined in a ball while he slept. And not only did this ball help him move Buu from planet to planet, but it also couldn't be revoked unless the counter-spell was activated. That just goes to show how much of a powerful wizard Bibidi was."

"So where is the location of this ball now?" Krillin asked curiously, his black eyebrows knitted together.

"It's here on Earth," Shin replied calmly, before continuing, "as Bibidi intended for Earth to be Majin Buu's next target. Thankfully, this action was prevented and Majin Buu has remained confined in that ball since then. Admitingly, I could've have destroyed Majin Buu, but since he was confined to a ball and Bidibi was no longer around, I chose not to as he was not a threat at the time. Furthermore, I even made the mistake of overlooking the fact that Bibidi had a son named Babidi and Babidi fully intends on carrying out his father's plan."

"Oh, no." Goku stated more to himself than anyone else. "If he's really this powerful, then this could spell trouble."

"I'm afraid trouble is understatement." The Supreme Kai bit out solemnly. "But then again, that's exactly why we're following Babidi's minions as we speak. If we can use them to find the location of the ball, we can still save Earth; it's not too late."

"So are we going to destroy the ball this Majin Buu is in?" Krillin inquired thoughtfully. "That would prevent this from happening again in the long-run."

"Yes, it would." Shin agreed, "But I do want to be cautious because we could accidentally activate the ball instead of successfully destroying it. That risk has always been too great to take, so I'd like to destroy the Babidi and his followers instead. Following that, I was thinking of taking the ball back to my world so as to personally watch over it."

"I see," Piccolo mulled over thoughtfully. "But if this doesn't work, what happens then?"

"I hate to even speak of it." Shin answered solemnly. "That's why this is of the utmost importance."

~0~

Videl couldn't believe her ears. Babidi, Bibidi, and Buu all sounded like atrocious creatures and it was hard to even imagine that creatures that _evil_ existed in the first place. It was a lot for one to wrap their head around, and she was honestly shaken up by what she overheard Kibito telling Gohan. The purple-haired teenager swallowed thickly, eyeing the two out of the corner of her eyes. It was a wonder how they could casually discuss this.

Then again, they seemed to be used to this kind of thing.

"Hey, Videl?" Gohan called out with a raised eyebrow. "Are you okay back there?"

"Huh?" She responded distractedly, "I'm fine."

Gohan didn't look convinced but nonetheless seemed to accept her answer. Kibito, on the other hand, frowned, "Gohan, we'll never catch up with the others at this rate. We need to speed up."

The young Saiyan cast a glance behind him. He knew where Kibito was getting at, but couldn't find it within him to tell Videl. After all, there was no nice way to tell anyone that they were in the way. However, unbeknownst to him, Videl was thinking along the same lines and saved him the trouble.

The short-haired female came to a stop, purple eyes slightly disappointed in herself. If she was faster, then this wouldn't be a problem and she could continue to fly with them. Though it would seem fate just wasn't on her side today. "Gohan, you guys go on ahead; Kibito is right." Videl saw Gohan open his mouth to protest and she shook her head, offering him a slight smile. "It's fine. Besides, I'll just go back and inform the others of what I've heard so far."

Gohan sent her a pitied look, but was glad that she understood. "Right. Just be sure to fly back safe, okay?"

Videl nodded once, the daughter of Hercule Satan parting ways with the two aliens and ultimately heading in the opposite direction. It bothered her beyond measure that she couldn't keep up with them, but she just had to trust in him and pray for his return.

"Alright, Kibito," Gohan addressed, "We can speed up now; I'll be right behind you."

"Good," Kibito replied stoically, "We have a lot of ground to cover, after all."

~0~

"Goten?" Trunks called out with a cocked brow.

No answer.

The lavender-haired Saiyan frowned, nudging the black-haired Saiyan on his side with his elbow. "Hey, Goten, what's going on inside that head of yours? Didn't you hear anything that I said?"

Goten, whom had his black eyes focused on the center of the ring Gohan had been at, absentmindedly shook his head. He was far too concerned with Gohan and where the others went off to be concerned with his best friend at the minute. Nothing made sense no matter how he looked at it. "I hope... Gohan's okay."

"Oh, so that's it," Trunks began easily, "I'm sure he's fine. Besides, that Kibitio guy healed him afterwards, didn't he?"

Goten blinked owlishly, "Well, yeah but - "

" - Alright, then." Trunks dismissed, grasping Goten's wrist and yanking him in the other direction. "Let's leave it at that for now since he's obviously okay. You didn't forget our plan, did you?"

Goten pouted, worries seemingly forgotten. The mini Goku was near offended that Trunks could even say something like that. How could he forget when he was actually looking forward to their upcoming plan. Granted, they've had many schemes together, but this one happened to be Goten's favorite thus far. He beamed, eagerly following after his purple-haired friend, "Of course not!"

Trunks chuckled mischievously, running everything they discussed over in his head again. "That's the spirit, Goten. This plan is completely foolproof!"

Goten released an equally mischievous chuckle, obviously in agreement with his small friend.

~0~

"We're here," Shin replied quietly, descending behind a nearby cliff. Already, the moment he touched down, he could tell that something was amiss. He narrowed his white brows, "Suppress your ki, everyone. It is important that we aren't discovered just yet."

Krillin gulped, but nonetheless did as told. The former monk had a bad feeling. And usually when he had such feelings, it was for a reason. Why did he get involved in this again? Hell, why didn't he head back to where the others were the minute he heard of what was going on? Then again, he was already here so there was really no point in reconsidering anything at this point, now was there?

Krillin glanced at Tarble out the corner of his eyes, noting that the male looked equally unsure and nervous.

"I wonder what they're talking about," Gohan muttered aside Kibito. Below the cliff that they were all hiding among, were five figures and two of the figures belonged to Yamu and Spopovich. It seemed as if they were discussing something among themselves and then, Yamu and Spopvich were handing over the energy they collected earlier.

Behind them was a white ship of sorts.

"Say," Goku inquired curiously, "which one of those guys is the wizard?"

Vegeta scoffed as if that was the easiest thing in the world to discern. The irritated prince diverted his onyx eyes onto the dead Saiyan, a scowl present on his features. "Isn't it obvious that it's the short, ugly one? Don't you remember what the Supreme Kai said about Babidi being weak?"

Goku frowned, keeping his eyes on the figures below them. "Well you didn't have to say it like that, Vegeta."

Vegeta merely scoffed. He was already irritated that he had to wait even longer to fight Kakarot, so Kakarot's idiotic tendencies was just adding more fuel to the fire. To be frank, he wasn't in the mood for this. The sooner this was over, the better. Then, he and Kakarot could get back to the tournament and then he could finally bring Kakarot to his knees once and for all. Vegeta smirked at the thought.

"He...killed them!"

Vegeta snapped out of his thoughts, eyes widening as he quickly diverted his attention back onto the matter before them all. And sure enough, it was just as Piccolo stated. Yamu and Spopovich had been done in.

Gohan blinked, appalled at what he had just witnessed. "How could he do that to his own comrades?"

Tarble, in obvious agreement, distractedly nodded. "How cruel."

Meanwhile, from down below, Babidi chuckled evilly aside Dabura. "Good job, Pui Pui. As expected of you."

Pui Pui's sinister grin spread further, "Of course, Lord Babidi. It was no problem at all. They were nothing more than small fry, after all."

Dabura, famously known as the Demon King, chuckled as well. He exceeded both Babidi and Pui Pui in height with his massive stature. "I'll say. To be honest, I half expected them to succeed."

"Exactly,"Babidi agreed. "But at the very least those two did collect quite the energy in such a short amount of time. With this much energy, we'll be able to revive Majin Buu in no time."

"However," Babidi diverted his beady eyes onto Dabura, eyeing him mischievously, "before we advance in our plans...what do you say you get rid of our spectators? Don't kill the Supreme Kai just yet and do be mindful of the three with powerful ki's."

Dabura nodded dutifully. "Of course."

Satisfied, Babidi diverted his attention onto to Pui Pui, instructing the alien to follow him. And as instructed, Dabura stayed behind, a slow grin easing on his features. If they got their hands on some of the energy those three contained, then Babidi was right; Majin Buu would be revived in no time and then they could continue on with their plan.

Meanwhile, the Z-fighters were all pretty stumped as to why Babidi and the one Shin identified as Pui Pui had left Dabura outside alone. It just didn't make sense and for the life of them, the powerful group of fighters couldn't figure it out for the life of them. That was until Vegeta's eyes all but widened in realization, mouth falling slightly agape in the process. "...He know's we're here!"

Piccolo's eyes widened as well, "What? How? We all kept out ki's suppressed!"

The red-skinned Kai swallowed nervously, "Dabura definitely isn't the Demon King for no reason. I never would've imagined that we'd get found out so soon."

Shin seemed to agree with Kai. "In that case, it's only a matter of time - "

" - Before you all die." Dabura finished with a smirk as he had all but appeared before fighters, specifically in front of Kibito - whom's eyes all but widened. "Especially you, Kibito."

"NO!" Shin called out with wide fearful eyes.

However, it was already too late.

With a single ki blast, Dabura ruthlessly killed off a wide-eyed Kibito, leaving the other fighters stunned and wide-eyed.


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: As usual, thanks for all of the continued support. Also, if you like listening to music while reading...I recommend listening to Tokyo Ghoul - Glassy Sky while reading the 18/Raditz bit. I don't really like Bleach as an anime, but I used its Never Meant to Belong and Torn Apart soundtrack while writing Vegeta's inner dialogue.

Q&A:

Superbluebop: Piccolo being more evenly matched with Dabura definitely would've been interesting. I did have my mind up to keep that scene in particular the same before writing this chapter since I don't think it downplay's Piccolo's strength at all. At least not to me. Things are going to start branching more and more from canon soon, however.

coldblue: 1) Yes; and you'll actually see happen that later lol; I'm definitely trying to crush Vegeta as much as possible before moving on to crushing Raditz. 2) A SSJ3 Raditz would look the same as Goku does, tbh. I say this because we've only really seen Goku in SSJ3 state so that's really the only canon state I have to compare it to. I haven't really thought of a way to put a creative spin on Raditz's SSJ3. 3) As far as Raditz goes, I'm still debating on what to do with him. Or rather, I'm torn between two choices as I can't really decide which one I like more. 4) Yes, actually. I really should have did that before this tournament started but it seriously slipped my mind. 5) I haven't really been watching toonami, lately. But I have been keeping up with DBS, and One Piece; I typically like shonen anime. 6) As far Kuwabara, I'll PM you the details. I have a lot of ideas.

.

.

Next chapter will feature Gohan vs Dabura. Just how will this fight go given Raditz's influence? Oh...and if you're never sure about my next update or if I'm taking a long time...always check my profile to see what's going on and etc.

* * *

Chapter 8: Mischief and Second Thoughts.

* * *

Chi-Chi couldn't help but frown and her features wholly reflected this. Just what in the world was going on for Gohan to be attacked and more specifically for _both_ Gohan and Goku to leave the tournament afterwards? Ever since Gohan's "fight" with Kibito, things seemed to go downhill from there. Or was it that maybe things had been going downhill from the start and she wasn't aware of it?

Chi-Chi's frown deepened.

Why did it seem as if she was always the last to know about everything? Then again, maybe she should've known that today's plans were too good to be true.

Her black eyes saddened and the raven-haired woman was all but releasing a sigh.

Really, even if seven years had passed without incident, one would figure that she would be used to these things happening. Granted, she would love to be able to say she wanted things to go back to the way it used to be, but even back then, something was always coming up and her husband was always in the center of it.

 _Always._

So, in other words, there was no way she would get to spend time with her husband today as she hoped. There was a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach that further supported her theory and even Chi-Chi couldn't stop the wave of anguish that washed upon her. If nothing else, she at least wanted Goku to be able to spend time with Goten. Unlike Gohan, Goku wasn't there for Goten's birth nor was Goku there to watch him grow up.

Was something as simple as that really too much to ask for?

"Aunt Chi-Chi?"

The raven-haired woman snapped out of her thoughts upon being addressed, her black eyes diverting onto the source. It was none other than Marise and Chi-Chi's lips turned upwards (in just the slightest of ways) at the sight of the child regarding her worriedly. She was the spitting image of her mother and both Marise and her mother were equally beautiful.

"Are you okay?" Marise inquired.

Chi-Chi's slight smile faltered slightly. Despite the fact that it was a smile that clearly didn't reach her eyes in the first place and the fact that Chi-Chi was sure that someone as observant as Marise probably was aware of this fact, the raven-haired woman managed to keep what was left of her smile in place.

 _Barely._

"Hai, I'm fine."

Just like Chi-Chi expected, Marise wasn't convinced but the child was polite enough to not call her out on it. Chi-Chi, at least, appreciated this. Unbeknownst to Chi-Chi, however, Bulma was regarding the woman knowingly and, unlike Marise, had no tact. Or rather, Bulma didn't care to have any tact.

"Chi, there's no reason to hide anything. It'd be better for your health if you talked about the things that bother you. Besides - "

Before the raven-haired woman could even gather her thoughts together, she was already responding - all but interrupting Bulma in the process. Chi-Chi blamed it on her instincts as well as her rapidly declining mood. " - There's nothing to talk about, Bulma; I'm fine."

Of course, the blue-haired woman didn't buy it - even going as far as to frown. The female scientist couldn't help but feel somewhat insulted. Didn't Chi-Chi realize that she wore her emotions on her sleeve? Someone that did that had no right to try to deny that something was wrong. Hell, even Marise could tell that something was wrong which should have spoken volumes. Bulma opened her mouth to voice just this and Chi-Chi was standing up with clenched fists and tense shoulders not even a minute later afterwards.

"I obviously don't want to talk about it, Bulma; it's not like _you_ could understand, anyway."

Bulma's blue eyes widened as the raven-haired woman stormily retreated away from everyone and out of the stands, her small mouth pursed slightly in shock. It was clear that Bulma hadn't expected such a snappy response and it took longer than she'd like to grasp a hold of herself. What did Chi-Chi mean that she wouldn't understand? Was she seriously implying that _she_ didn't know what it meant to struggle or go through things, too? Sure, her and Chi-Chi had different financial situations, but by no means was her life perfect.

Why was that such a common misconception?

Didn't Chi-Chi know that money couldn't fix everything?

Bulma huffed, slightly irritated; nonetheless, that didn't stop the blue-haired female from going after the upset woman. "Chi! Wait up!"

"Geez," Yamcha remarked after a bout of silence. "I hope everything's okay. She just got up and left out of the blue."

Oolong, of whom had been sitting aside Master Roshi, didn't tear his eyes away from the magazines they were looking over (perhaps due to the shameless nosebleeds they were sporting?); nonetheless, responded with a: "I'm sure they'll be fine. You know how women tend to be at times."

"Yeah," Master Roshi agreed in-between a few giggles, "Women are very sensitive creatures and the most we can do is comfort them in their time of need."

Yamcha sourly rolled his eyes, not even bothering to respond to the two perverts on the stands in front of him. The baseball player knew full well what they defined as "comfort" and that definitely wasn't going to cut it with Bulma or Chi-Chi - hell, with any woman, really. Those two really were hopeless, it seemed.

Though, from beside Yamcha, Susan Marie cocked a brow in concern after sharing a somewhat worried glance with Ranfan, "Should I go after them?"

"Nah," Yamcha dismissed with a wave of the hand, "I'm sure Bulma has it all under control; those two will be back in no time. After all, Android 18 is fighting next against Hercule and I doubt those two will want to miss _that_." The black-haired male chuckled a bit as he coolly folded his arms across his chest, "Heck, that's the fight I've been looking forward to the most! Forget all the other ones, that Hercule will get what he deserves!" Yamcha diverted his attention down onto the three- year old twins, a big smile still on his features, "Isn't that righ - ?"

However, to his dismay, the twins were gone and Yamcha couldn't help but swallow thickly. After all, he at least had a right to know who would kill him first: Android 18 or Chi-Chi? The black-haired male sighed, shoulders slumping down in the process.

Why couldn't he ever catch a break?

~ 0 ~

"Taro," Marise chastised with narrowed icy blue eyes, grasping a hold of his wrist and pulling the running male to a stop. "Where are you going? Momma's fight is next!"

Taro diverted his eyes onto his twin, blonde-haired sister, frowning. "Isn't it obvious? I'm going to find Goten and Trunks. Aren't you curious about what they're up to?"

Marise looked slightly taken aback, but quickly grasped a hold of herself. "That doesn't matter. We're not supposed to - "

The black haired demi-Saiyan cut off his sister before she could even finish. " - If you're not up to it, maybe you should head back. I didn't ask you to follow me, anyway."

Silence.

And then, Marise was releasing a sigh.

She had a feeling that Taro was going to pull a stunt like this, and to be honest, she kinda hated that she was so observant. While she had let go of the fact that they weren't going to get to participate in the tournament, Taro had not and it clearly still bothered him - even if he would never admit it. Be that as it may, there was something within her that didn't want to be left out when it came to her brother, cousin, and Goten. If they ended up getting in trouble, then maybe she could blame it on that.

Or maybe hopefully they wouldn't get caught in the first place.

"Well?" Taro prodded expectantly.

"Fine," Marise agreed reluctantly, falling back into step with her twin.

~ 0 ~

"Just how much longer is it going to take?" Lazuli asked in utter boredom. Her icy, blue eyes were filled with an annoyance that was as clear as day to both her husband and the other contestants idly waiting around. The blonde-haired bombshell was sitting down with a leg crossed over the other and her head resting against a palm. With her free hand, Lazuli pulled a stubborn strand of blonde hair back into place as she continued on to no one in particular, "It's been at least half an hour since Kibito and Gohan left."

"Probably shouldn't be too much longer," Raditz distractedly responded. The long-haired male Saiyan was positioned next to his wife, leaning against the wall with his arms folded across his chest. Unlike his wife, Raditz wasn't focused on why the repairs were taking long. Instead, Raditz was more concerned with why he suddenly couldn't feel Krillin's, Kibito's or Piccolo's ki? Was he imaging things?

If he wasn't, then how come he could clearly still feel the kid's ki and everyone's else ki? Why was it _specifically_ Kibito's, Krillin, and Piccolo's ki that he couldn't pinpoint? And why did it feel like Videl's ki was heading back towards them? Didn't she tag along with the others? Raditz frowned slightly. Some things just weren't making sense and he couldn't help but hope that shit wasn't hitting the fan, so to speak.

Then again, the only way Raditz would know for sure would be when Videl returned; that way he could ask her what was going on.

"If you're that concerned, maybe you should go see what's going on for yourself."

Raditz's onyx eyes diverted onto his wife, a brow cocked upwards as he briefly regarded her. "Do you feel it, too?"

"Yeah," She answered as coolly as possible. On the inside, the blonde couldn't help but think back to her nightmare and wonder if there was an impending danger rapidly approaching that they had no idea about. The thought alone was enough to make her swallow thickly. Involuntarily, her mind flashed back to how there was so much blood in her dream and how it was so dark and cold; and before she knew it, Lazuli was rising up to her feet and moving to dismiss herself.

At Raditz's strange look, she paused and threw him a sideways glance as she feared her expression would give her away. "I'm going for a walk."

"Lazuli," Raditz called out, grasping her pale hand before she got too far. He hadn't intended on stopping her, but there was something within him that didn't feel right. There was something clearly bothering her and it had to be that nightmare she had all but chose to keep him in the dark about. At the time, he decided to drop his curiosities and give her time to approach him about it on her own, but that didn't seem to be anytime soon.

How much longer did she expect him to keep pushing down his gnawing curiosity and concern?

Android 18 cocked a brow as she regarded the mute male, somewhat impatient. " _Well_?"

In response to his wife's tone, his black eyes all but narrowed as a slight scowl took over his features. "What the hell is going on?"

The blonde cyborg snatched her pale hand out of his grip, her icy eyes narrowing similarly, "What happened to you letting me come around?"

Raditz scoffed. "I tried, Lazuli. Don't you understand that there's only so many times I can curb my concern?"

The blonde's eyes widened slightly, and the long-haired male continued as he still wasn't satisfied, "How the hell am I supposed to protect you if I don't even know what the hell to protect you from? You're trying to bare everything alone as if things haven't changed between us. We're married, we have two kids, Lazuli, and in case you've forgotten, I can feel everything you're going through."

The blonde was immediately hit with a wave of guilt; however, the burly male didn't give her time to process the foreign feeling as he was already pulling away from her. Lazuli's eyes widened, whirling around to face her retreating husband. "Rad - "

" - Since you want to be alone so bad, then be my guest. Hell if I care anymore." Raditz interrupted irritably, leaving his wide-eyed wife alone. The blonde-haired woman wasn't sure how long she stared after his retreating from, but she ultimately took note of the fact that some poor soul actually had the audacity to approach her out of the corner of her eyes.

"Lover's spat? Too bad." A male commented with a flip of his blonde hair. He had blue eyes and was noticeably taller than the blonde android. He smirked arrogantly, as he was rather confident in his looks it seemed. "I can help you forget all about it. What do you say we - "

18 diverted her icy blue eyes onto the male behind her, her eyes dangerously narrowed. She wasn't in the mood. " - _Scram_."

Jewel all but paled at the angry blonde before him, and for a moment his fear prevented him from doing as she ordered. However, when Lazuli's eyes narrowed even more, Jewel found a way to hurriedly get away from her. The upset blonde exhaled the breath she didn't know she was holding as she plopped back back down at the bench of the waiting area for the remaining contestants.

If she had to be honest, it has been a while since she has seen Raditz so upset - and with her for that matter. The last time she seen him so upset was when she foolishly accused him of thinking of her as pathetic after she had her first nightmare at his place. She had been so sweaty and soaked to the bone that she needed a bath afterwards. Despite this, he had been kind enough to still see to it that she was okay. The blonde's icy blue eyes lowered slightly, mentally musing that there really wasn't a difference between the time she made him mad back then and the time she upset him today.

After all, in both scenarios she failed to take his feelings into consideration.

Maybe she hadn't changed as much as she thought?

For a reason unbeknownst to her, that thought didn't seem to sit well with her and the blonde quickly discarded the thought as quickly as it came. She released a huff of annoyance.

~0~

"What are you guys doing?" Shin inquired incredulously. The purple-skinned male was all but whispering for a reason unbeknownst to him, but quickly decided that there were more important matters at hand. Heck, he barely had time to pull himself together after what happened to Kibito, Krillin, and Piccolo, before Vegeta and the others were heading for Babidi's ship.

It was _obviously_ a trap; pure testament to this was the way the ship doors literally opened for them. If that wasn't clear as day to them, then Shin didn't know what would be. The Supreme Kai released an exasperated sigh; nonetheless, he touched down aside the others. They appeared to be on a floor of sorts and mysteriously enough, it was spacious and hardly had anything in it.

Out of the corner of his eyes, the Supreme Kai saw that Tarble looked just as unsure as he felt and, despite the situation, was comforted by the fact that someone at least could relate to him somewhat.

Seriously, did these Saiyans fear nothing?

They literally saw Kibito get killed in an instant, followed by Piccolo and Krillin falling victim to Dabura's spit in the next; in a matter of seconds, they were both turned to stone.

The Supreme Kai couldn't stop the vicious shudder that wracked his frame at the mere memory. He and Kibito had everything planned out, and to think that everything would start to fall apart at the beginning was unsettling, to say the least.

"What does it look like?" Vegeta inquired snappily. "We obviously can't just sit out there and wait around, now can we?"

Shin was visibly taken back, his black eyes quickly narrowing. Just who did Vegeta think he was talking to? Did he already forget that he was not of this world? That he was -

"Aw, come on Vegeta," Goku stated cheerily. He had unknowingly interrupted the Supreme Kai's thoughts. The spiky-haired Saiyan continued, hands on his hips as he triumphantly took in their surroundings. "No need to be so grumpy about it."

Vegeta scoffed, arms folded across his chest. "And just what the hell does that mean?"

Goku cocked a brow, laughing carelessly. "Well, gee, Vegeta. If that doesn't ring a bell, then I don't know how else to put it so that you understand it."

Vegeta's expression was priceless and even Gohan couldn't help but release a few chuckles or two at the antics of the two men before him. Unfortunately, their conversation was cut short as they were quickly reminded of the situation at hand.

 _"Well, well, well,_ " Babidi's voice rung out. Immediately, the Z-fighters and the Supreme Kai looked around to pinpoint where the voice was coming from but to no avail. They eventually pieced together that it was coming from nearby, at least; they just couldn't see him.

Babidi continued, " _It's nice of you to join us. We've been expecting you_." And if Babidi heard Vegeta's harrumphed, Babidi didn't call him out on it; or he simply didn't care. "T _o put it simply, there's three levels and to get to the next level, you must be able to defeat the fighter on said level. Of course, if you somehow manage to get past all three, then you four will come face to face with the great Babidi himself_."

Babidi chuckled evilly and, at that point, Vegeta didn't care to hear whatever more he had to say. The Saiyan Prince was irritated. "I say we just blow up this ship and call it a day. Who the hell cares about some small fry?"

At Vegeta's suggestion, Shin's eye widened in horror, "No! We mustn't do that, Vegeta! Don't you understand what could happen if you did that? You could end up prematurely - "

" - _And?"_ Vegeta interrupted before Shin could finish. The Prince was already aware of what Shin was going to say and he could care less to be honest. This whole ordeal was interfering with his fight with Kakarot; thus, anything that didn't concern him beating Kakarot to a bloody pulp was a hindrance. And on that note, Vegeta turned to face an appalled Shin, "So what if we end up awakening this Majin Buu character? If he's not at full power, that would clearly be an advantage since you're so adamant about how dangerous he is."

Shin was quick to respond, his white eyebrows narrowing immediately. "The whole point, _Vegeta_ , is to find away to get rid of Buu without awakening him. It seems you don't understand the severity of the situation we're in! Your loved ones and everyone you care about could end up dead if we don't go about this the proper way!"

"Tch," Was Vegeta's only reply and Shin couldn't help but narrow his eyes further. He couldn't place it, but he had a really bad feeling at the pit of his stomach and it somehow tied in with Vegeta. The Supreme Kai hadn't known that such a stubborn and prideful being such as Vegeta existed. If he wasn't careful, then that pride would someday cost him everything if he wasn't careful.

Nevertheless, everyone's attention diverted over onto the sound of a door sliding open. From behind said doors, out came a ridiculously hideous creature. He was clad in white armor in some areas and had a notable 'M' on his forehead. The male alien quickly identified himself as Pui Pui, and Vegeta quickly decided that he didn't like the arrogance this 'Pui Pui' character was giving off.

"I'm going first," Vegeta decided before anyone could say anything. The Saiyan deliberately ignored Goku's childish pout and took in his opponent with a smirk, arms folded across his chest still. He probably wouldn't even make for a decent warm-up; nonetheless, this would have to do. "So you're my opponent, hm?"

Pui Pui laughed arrogantly, not at all fazed by the the flamed-haired Saiyan. "Your first and your last opponent; this is as far as you go."

Vegeta didn't hide his amusement at Pui Pui's words, his shoulders shaking in sync with the chuckles that slipped past his smirking lips. "Oh? Big words," Vegeta mocked openly.

At Vegeta's mocking, Pui Pui's laugh came to an abrupt halt as if he didn't expect such a thing. His green eyes all but narrowed and his fist clenched. "And just what does that mean?"

Vegeta harrumphed. "Would it matter? Not like _you_ could understand it either way."

Pui Pui released a low growl at the insult.

 _"Pui Pui,"_ Babidi called out, " _What do you say we put this one in his place immediately? Let's just say that his arrogance isn't sitting well with me."_ Babidi cackled sneakily before continuing after a brief pause, _'Your planet has a special advantage, does it not?"_

The green-eyed alien smirked triumphantly as he couldn't agree more. His home plant wasn't any ordinary planet - no, it had much harsher and more extreme conditions than that of the average planet. With this, his opponent definitely stood no chance against him; it was over before it even began.

Pui Pui's smirk widened, finally responding, "I couldn't agree more, Master Babidi."

Victory was already his for the taking, it seemed.

And before anyone else could say anything more, their surroundings were already changing; immediately, the Z-fighters, Tarble, and Shin were experiencing something entirely different before their very eyes. Tarble blinked, taking a look around. To him, it looked as if they were on an completely different planet. It was truly mind-blowing.

Not to mention that everything felt significantly heavier.

"How...is this even possible?" Tarble managed to inquire.

Shin didn't skip a beat. "This just goes to show how powerful Babidi's magic is."

And while Goku and Gohan seemed to be in a semi state of awe, Vegeta merely harrumped again. The Saiyan Prince stood as he was with his arms proudly across his chest. The flame-haired Saiyan was unfazed. Was this all the alien before him had to offer? If that was the case, then Pui Pui wouldn't even offer him a warm-up. Having voiced just this, Vegeta boredly watched as Pui Pui's expression became that of an irritated one.

"You must really want to die. Are you a fool? Don't you know that my planet, Planet Zoon, has _ten_ times the gravity you're accustomed to?"

Easily, Vegeta began trekking towards the alien. "Your point? If you couldn't tell already, this is nothing for me; I've trained day and night in much harsher conditions than this. So if this is the best you've got, then both you and your _'Master Babidi'_ really are nothing but a utter waste of existence."

Pui Pui looked absolutely appalled at this. "How arrogant! Just who do you think you - "

Vegeta came to a halt directly before the male, extending his arms out so that his palms were just about touching Pui Pui's chest area. " - I'm a Saiyan warrior known as Vegeta...I'm the Prince of all Saiyans; I'm the strongest of the strongest!" And having nothing more to say, Vegeta easily blew Pui Pui to smithereens with yellow ki blasts.

In the end, it was clear that Pui Pui never really stood a chance against Vegeta in the first place.

Of course, no one would have thought otherwise.

Except the Supreme Kai.

Whom was blinking owlishly at the moment. It was more than apparent that he was in a state of shock, his eyes wide with disbelief. "He...killed him? Not only that...he had no problem against Planet Zoon's gravity! I can't believe it!"

Goku sent the Supreme Kai a weird look, hands lazily resting behind his head. The Supreme Kai sure was amazed by the simplest of things. "Well, of course! Vegeta and I are a lot stronger than you think. I mean we are Saiyans, after all."

"Saiyans, huh." Shin couldn't help but repeat Goku's words. It seemed that he ran into a lot of rather strong warriors, indeed. This group was truly something else. With their power, they could definitely put a stop to Majin Buu. Even then, he still couldn't help but hold some concern towards Vegeta; it was more than clear that the "Saiyan Prince" was not like the other Saiyans.

Especially, Goku.

The two were like yin and yang, day and night - they were complete opposites.

And while that fact wasn't necessarily the problem, Shin couldn't help but worry about Vegeta's method of thinking. Vegeta, though extremely powerful, was prideful and arrogant. He clearly thought highly of himself and undermined life-threatening situations - like the one they were in now. He was a selfish male and while he didn't want to think such things about Vegeta, the only thing Shin could do was hope that he was wrong about Vegeta.

Hopefully, the Saiyan would prove him wrong in due time.

" _Ugh_!" The irritated male managed to get out. Out of the corner of his eyes, Vegeta noted that the surroundings changed immediately; it went from Planet Zoon back to the original landscape of the ship they were inside. Furthermore, the sole door on the floor opened given Pui Pui's death and Vegeta distractedly followed the others to the next level. For all of the Surpreme's Kai _harping_ , this just wasn't living up to what Vegeta expected.

Was this Majin Buu character really this strong? If he had to be honest, if Babidi's minions were similar to Pui Pui, then all of them would be nothing more than a waste of time and a waste of life. The only opponent that looked even remotely promising was Dabura and even that was pushing it. Vegeta was more than confident that he could take Dabura; all he really had to watch out for was Dabura's spit and that was it.

Piccolo, Krillin, and Kibito had foolishly lowered their guard and they were paying the price for their mistake.

"Alright!" Goku cheered happily, stretching his arms back and forth a bit. The spiky-haired male trekked forwards a bit so that he was in the center and eagerly awaited for his opponent to reveal himself next. He had high hopes that his opponent would at least be more of a challenge than Vegeta's opponent had been.

Though, Goku's hopes were quickly shot down the moment he saw his opponent.

Contrary to Vegeta's opponent, his opponent was rather bulky in size...

...as well as hideous to look at.

Goku recoiled at the green-skinned creature before him with an, "Ew!" as the Saiyan wasn't sure which was more disgusting: the drool dripping from his canines or the fact that he could see his opponent's rib cage. Goku frowned. The male was completely convinced that such as thing was unhealthy. Nevertheless, Goku lunged towards his opponent with a push of the feet.

To his surprise, Yakon disappeared and reappeared behind him in a similar fashion. And, with a swipe of the hand, Yakon all but aimed to split the Saiyan into two. Quickly, Goku flipped forwards to avoid it. In one fluid motion, he was whirling around to face his opponent of whom was lunging for him yet again. Yakon easily put Goku on the defensive of relentless slashes of sorts using his ridiculously long claws and Goku couldn't help but mentally note that his opponent certainly had commendable speed as he moved about to evade said slashes.

"Be careful, dad!" Gohan called out. The demi-Saiyan had came to the same conclusion as his father and looked on with light concern aside Tarble and the Surpreme Kai.

"Of course!" Goku replied back easily, parring a few attacks of Yakon's with his own attacks. They two pulled back briefly, before charging for one another again; this time it was Goku that had Yakon on the defensive, getting in a few quick hits in. Goku was smartly using his smaller stature to his advantage - as Yakon was noticeably bigger than him.

"Not bad," Yakon rasped out with a chuckle. "But I wouldn't get too ahead of myself just yet."

" _He's right_ ," Babidi cut in. " _Yakon, you also have special conditions of which you thrive in, don't you?"_

Once again, Babidi was changing the landscape; however, unlike the first time, this time everything was completely dark. These guests of his were getting a little too cocky for Babidi's liking and he was certain that Yakon would do the trick. Not to mention that Yakon thrived off the energy of his opponents.

That alone made Yakon unstoppable.

Babidi smirked, turning to face Dabura at his side. _"I daresay this will stop those four in their tracks! Go, Yakon! They're underestimating us a little too much!"_

Vegeta, on the other hand, couldn't help but cut his eyes. There was nothing to underestimate. The Saiyan Prince had no doubt that Kakarot's fight would be over in a matter of minutes. They were up against weaklings, after all. This whole thing was a joke. Hell, he had at least hoped that Kakarot's opponent would be strong enough to force Kakarot to reveal at least some of his cards. That plan quickly went downhill the moment he got rid of his own opponent on the first floor, though.

Vegeta scowled.

Even if Kakarot didn't outright say it, Vegeta knew that he had to have accomplished something over these past seven years. After all, no matter what, Kakarot was always one step ahead of him. The Saiyan narrowed his eyes. That idiot couldn't fool him. Hell, not even Raditz could fool him. Even if it wasn't for long, Vegeta felt an unbelievable amount of ki when Raditz trained over the years. He couldn't exactly identify it yet as Raditz was the last person he talked to about anything, but it was immensely powerful.

He would bet everything that Kakarot knew something about this. At the end of the day, even if he wasn't on good terms with Raditz, they did have one thing in common that he'd admit: they could never catch up to Kakarot, or if they did, they could never stay in the lead for long. Vegeta clenched his fist. He had been at the top once, stronger than everyone when he fought against Cell's Imperfect Form many years back. Where did he go wrong? How did he lose his position so quickly?

Granted, he and Kakarot were like two sides of a coin; they had utterly different personalities, but that shouldn't interfere with anything when it came to strength and power.

Furthermore, he was of elite blood; he was the Prince of all Saiyans and being the strongest was _his_ birthright. How many times has he told himself that only to not live up to his talk?

Vegeta clenched his fists even more if possible, his scowl deepening as he watched his rival eventually power up to become a Super Saiyan. That idiot probably intended to overwhelm his opponent with energy until he exploded to bits. What a simple-minded plan; then again, what more did he expect from a complete idiot such as Kakarot?

"Tch."

Vegeta just couldn't understand what was it that Kakarot had that he didn't have. He trained just as hard - if not more. Everyday, Vegeta pushed himself to the brink of exhaustion. In the end, did he really have _nothing_ to show for it? Had he...grown _soft_? Was that what the problem was? Vegeta closed his eyes, an image of Bulma and Trunks involuntarily appearing in his head as he did so. Just as quickly, he forced the image to go away.

They weren't important.

And why should they be? For the most part, his goal has always revolved around the same thing. At this point, even this fact shouldn't be a secret to anyone that knew of him. If that was the case, then what was that gnawing at the back of his conscience? Vegeta harrumphed, once again as he forced whatever it was to the depths of his mind. He was making things way too complicated these past years. He only had one true goal in mind and in order to achieve that, then he had no choice but to best Kakarot by any means possible.

He was going to do away with the distractions and unnecessary things. The only thing he needed was power. That was how it has always been and how it should remain. And Vegeta knew just the way to get a hold of what he so desperately desired and yearned for. Perhaps this method would get him back on track and to the way things should be.

After all, he has seen first hand what such power could do.


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: The continued support is very much appreciated - as usual, of course.

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comments and questions:

Guest: Thank you! And as far as Raditz, he knows nothing about the Buu threat yet. That's certainly to come when Videl finally makes it back to the others. Raditz simply chose to stay by 18's side out of half worry for her and he was confident in Goku's and Vegeta's abilities to handle things. However...he'll find out soon enough.

a guy1013: Gladly! Hope you like the chapter.

gamelover41592: Thank you; I tried really hard to capture a lot of emotion in the previous chapter.

coldblue2015: Q1) I haven't thought about Raditz passing down any form of technique to the twins yet. I haven't got that far ahead yet, but it definitely sounds creative; I like the idea. Q2) Without revealing too much, I'll just say 'yes' to this one lol. Q3&4) I haven't thought up this far either, but now that you mention it they definitely would have enough Saiyans in Super (if continued) to do the Super Saiyan God ritual. Q5) Without revealing too much here...yes, we'll get a Raditz vs Buu fight for sure and as far as the details...I'll leave those to reveal itself.

As far as your suggestions, I do agree that it'd be interesting for Raditz's family to have a traditional attack and I also agree that it's weird that some villains kept their body but Vegeta didn't. I never really thought about it until you said something. I'm honestly awaiting some bad ass moments for Pan in Super as well and hopefully some for Bulla as well. I'm curious about what Akira T. has in mind. Furthermore, I definitely agree that it'd be a battle of stamina between Raditz and Buu.

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Next Chapter I expect to write some 18/Raditz interactions, a conclusion between Gohan and Dabura and more to come. Hope you all enjoyed the holidays, by the way!

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Chapter 9: Battle Royale! Gohan vs The Demon King Dabura!

* * *

Hercule Satan, the world's strongest fighter, was all but smirking as he peered off into the millions of people in the stands. They seemed to be getting rather impatient with the delay of the tournament and rightly so. They were all here to see him, the World Champion, and it was by no means their fault that a couple of _cowards_ had yet to return to continue the tournament. Even though he really couldn't blame them for running away, the tournament still had to continue; they couldn't put what the people wanted on hold forever, after all.

And so, without further ado, Hercule Satan trekked away from the other contestants and towards the blonde-haired announcer, who clearly didn't know how to handle their new situation. Almost instantaneously, the angry chants of the spectators turned into joyous cheers at the sight of Hercule, and the male fighter couldn't help but take a moment or two to relish in the cheers of his fans.

Hercule harrumphed proudly, his arms folded across his chest.

The blonde-haired announcer blinked owlishly, turning to face the World Champ. Despite his sunglasses, it was still somewhat clear he was confused. "Uh, Mr. Satan? What's going - "

" - What's the hold up here?" The Champ interrupted proudly, quickly continuing before he could get a response, "Those other fighters obviously aren't going to return anytime soon, so I say we give the fans what they want already."

"Well, easier said than done, Mr. Satan, but," The announcer paused, shooting the boisterous male a weird look as if questioning why he was even in the ring in the first place. Fortunately, his shades made this action discreet. "If we continue without the others, we'll be down to five warriors." He gestured to the judges and overseers huddled in a group with a finger; they were presumably discussing how to proceed with the tournament. "That's what they've been stuck on and they're still trying to come up with an idea to make this work."

"Well there's no need for them to do that anymore. I have a solution that will get this show back on the road in no time." Hercule arrogantly proclaimed, noting that overseers were curiously making their way over towards him. They must have overheard. Good. That meant that he'd only have to explain this once. "Not only that," Hercule continued, "I'm certain the crowd will go absolutely crazy for it, too."

So, all ears - as they didn't really have any ideas themselves - the World Tournament announcer and the overseers clad in orange listened to Hercule's idea. The purple-eyed male insisted on a Battle Royale between he and the remaining fighters. Of course, given that they didn't really know when the others were going to return or if they even planned to, the announcer decided to side with Hercule.

Reluctantly, the overseers decided to do the same.

"Well, folks!" The announcer could be heard chirping via the microphone mere minutes later, distractedly pushing his shades up with a finger. "It looks like we'll be continuing immediately...with none other than a Battle Royale!" As Hercule suspected, the crowd went wild. Perhaps it was due to the fact that they were desperate for some form of action to happen - as they have been waiting quite the while. "It'll be all of your favorites, whether you've taken a liking to the cool Raditz, the silent Mighty Mask, the beautiful Android 18, the lady charmer Jewel, the deadly Killa, or the World Champ Hercule Satan, you'll get to see them fight all at once!"

" _Finally_!" One from the audience claimed with a fist-pump. "I was beginning to think this would drag on forever!"

"Tell me about it!" Another one agreed. "Good looking out on Hercule's part!"

"I'll say!" Someone else agreed. "Besides, a Battle Royale is probably the only way the others will have a chance against the World Champ in the first place! This should be interesting!"

Meanwhile, Android 18 coolly listened on from where she stood. A battle royale, huh? For once, it seemed that maybe Hercule Satan was on to something. Either way, she intended to make short work of everyone and put an end to this once and for all. Since they were continuing on without the others, that just really left Jewel, Killa, Mighty Mask, Raditz, and Hercule Satan. Obviously, she wasn't really worried about the Jewel, Killa, Mighty Mask, or Hercule Satan; they were nobodies and could barely achieve getting her outfit dirty at the most. It was Raditz she was worried about - in more ways than one, at that.

Android 18's icy blue eyes scanned around for her husband, quickly realizing that he was no where in sight.

Was Raditz that upset with her that he wouldn't even participate in the Battle Royale?

~0~

"Come on, Chi!" Bulma whined somewhat in exasperation. "You can't seriously feel that way, can you?"

The raven-haired woman's black eyes saddened briefly; however, she quickly got a hold of herself. "What else could it be, then?"

"Well, not that!" Bulma lamely retorted back. The female scientist couldn't believe she actually thought that about Goku; there was just no way. Goku was one of the sweetest people she knew. He was just as kind as he was carefree. Of course he actually loved her! How could someone like Goku not?

Chi-Chi huffed, folding her arms over her chest. "Well you wanted to know and I told you! It's not like I expected you to agree with me or anything!"

Bulma shook her head. It seemed like nothing she said managed to get through to Chi-Chi as they were doing nothing short of going back and forth with one another. Had she been slightly smarter, she would've got Raditz involved in this. Unfortunately, she wouldn't be able to drag Raditz into this now since he was most likely going to participate in the Battle Royale they heard about via the intercoms spread throughout the vicinity of the World Tournament. If anything, Bulma had no doubt that he would have at least be able to knock some sense into her and combat the nonsense coming out of Chi-Chi's mouth.

Nevertheless, Bulma tried once more.

"Chi, to be honest, you're only feeling this way because Goku took off with the others. In other words, you were just fine before that whole Kibito and Gohan ordeal happened. Besides, you don't even know for sure that the others are going to get mixed up with anything detrimental. We're going to have a great time today because this _started_ off as a good day, okay? Don't let this one thing cause you to regress back to the mindset you had when you were pregnant with Goten. You've overcome so much emotionally, Chi."

Bulma paused for a bit, before smiling reassuringly, "And Goku _does_ love you, Chi. The whole reason he stayed dead was to protect everyone, right? He said so himself that enemies were coming to Earth because of him and he basically wanted his loved ones to be safe. All in all, I'm so sure, it's not even funny. Besides, when have I ever been wrong about anything?"

Chi-Chi remained silent, finally unable to come up with a retort for her blue-haired friend. In short, Bulma felt as if she was over-analyzing and, as much as Chi-Chi hated to admit it, maybe she was. Bulma did make some valid, strong points after all. Exhaling soundlessly, Chi-Chi cocked a slight smile. "Alright, then."

The blue-haired vixen released a sigh of relief, her smile widening even more. "Good. Now what do you say we head back? The twins are probably worried about us and we certainly don't want to miss 18 and Raditz in action, now do we?"

~0~

"Oh?" Vegeta called out, arms folded across his chest. "Seems like maybe Babidi is finally getting the memo. Perhaps this time the opponent will actually be someone worthwhile."

Tarble furrowed a brow at Vegeta but said nothing. For some reason, his brother was a bit more off than usual. He couldn't place it and it was like the harder Tarble tried to make sense of it, the harder it was to do so. He wondered if the others noted anything. Tarble glanced around at his peers, taking in their expressions.

It didn't seem like it.

If anything, they seemed more concerned with why their third opponent had yet to reveal themselves. If Tarble wasn't mistaken, Gohan's turn was next and this was supposedly the last level. After this, they were likely to confront Babidi and hopefully put an end to this whole charade. There was four of them and only two of the enemy, assuming they took out their third opponent - though given their progress thus far they most likely would. However, this seemed to do little to put the Supreme Kai at ease.

Oddly enough, Tarble could say the same.

At the moment, all Tarble could feel was dread and anxiety. Granted, he wasn't the typical Saiyan - meaning he wasn't exactly warrior material. Furthermore, while his brother had been purging planets around the mere age of four, he was on a different planet as that was the destined fate of the weaker Saiyans. So, all in all, he didn't have the same confidence or arrogance or what one would label as the typical Saiyan behavior, he was quite the opposite. Compared to Vegeta, he was timid, weak, and he didn't really have much confidence in himself, so naturally Tarble was used to such feelings in a way.

But this was entirely different and Tarble just couldn't get over that.

"Tarble?"

The younger brother of Vegeta snapped out of his thoughts, diverting his black eyes onto the source. It was none other than Gohan it seemed. "Yes?"

Gohan didn't skip a beat. "Is everything okay? You've been pretty quiet."

Tarble blinked owlishly for a minute or so, shaking out of his stupor with a shake of the head as if to shake away his thoughts afterwards. The smaller male smiled apologetically after he caught his bearings, "Yes, I'm fine."

Vegeta harrumphed as if to say otherwise, but didn't press on and everything fell silent once again. Eventually, as if fully aware of everyone's impatience, the door slid back and out came their opponent. It was none other than the Demon King, Dabura, and the red-skinned male was smirking ear-to-ear as he took in the four before him. The male boldly made his way towards the four, his arms crossed over his chest.

"Finally decided to come out of hiding?" Vegeta taunted with a smirk just as wide. The flame-haired Saiyan found himself slightly irritated that Dabura's smirk merely widened at his taunting, but quickly brushed it aside.

Dabura noted that Saiyan identified as Gohan was trekking towards him out of the corner of his eyes, but nonetheless kept his gaze locked on Vegeta. By no means was Dabura going to fall for Vegeta's taunting, but he definitely wasn't going to allow Vegeta to say what he wanted to either. "My apologies, I had no idea you all were that ready to die."

Vegeta narrowed his eyes at the response, all but opening his mouth to respond; however, Gohan was quick to make his presence known as he all but slid into his fighting stance. "Unfortunately for you, that's not going to happen; I'm your opponent, Demon King."

Dabura's eyes flicked onto the Saiyan before him, taking in Gohan with a quick glance-over. "Very well." Dabura agreed, "but first a change of scenery is needed."

Courtesy of Babidi yet again, the scenery changed; however, unlike being on the opponents respective planets, the scenery simply resembled that of outside. And nearly quicker than the eyes could perceive, just as Gohan charged for the red-skinned male, Dabura had all but sent a crescent-shaped ki attack towards the approaching Saiyan. Gohan's eyes widened, quickly coming to a halt and evading the attack with a leap backwards. If possible, his eyes widened even more as Dabura's attack all but cleanly sliced through a nearby cliff of sorts.

Dabura followed up with another one, smirking as he quickly put the Saiyan on a barrage of the same attacks.

Gohan narrowed his black eyes; nonetheless, he continued charging for Dabura - all the while he was weaving in and out of Dabura's attacks. If that attack so much came near him, it was over and Gohan had realized this fairly quickly. In addition, he wouldn't let his father or Vegeta down. Not only that, but he kept training with his uncle continuously these past seven years and he refused to be the only one to lose to his opponent. Motivated, Gohan phased out of sight and appeared behind Dabura in a similar fashion, moving to kick the red-skinned male in the back.

Easily, Dabura phased out of sight as well, appearing behind Gohan instead and inhaled noticeably, firing out a few globs of spit.

"Gohan!" The Surpreme Kai called out worriedly, wide-eyed. If Gohan got hit with that, then he'd meet the same fate as Piccolo and Krillin.

"I know!" Gohan called back out, quickly phasing out of sight once more. This time, however, Dabura was already behind him when he did so, sending the Saiyan hurling down towards the ground with a hard kick. Gohan had just barely managed to cross his arms, but at least managed to redirect the brunt of Dabura's attack to his forearms. Quickly, Dabura appeared behind Gohan in a blur just before he could crash into the ground and harshly kneed Gohan in the back.

Gohan spluttered up blood, flying back in the direction he came from due to the momentum of Dabura's attack. Even so, just before he could slam into the surrounding rock before him, Gohan jumped into Super Saiyan with a yell and successfully came to a halt. Then, eyes widening, Gohan whirled around and fended off a ki blast Dabura sent to catch him off guard with a swat of the arm. With a burst of ki, Gohan gave chase after Dabura and lunged to meet him halfway with a fist cocked back, easily hurling his fist forwards to meet Dabura's.

A shock wave formed upon connection and neither faltered in the slightest as they both applied more force behind their fists with a grunt. Briefly, the two pulled back from one another, circling around the other before lunging for the other once more; this time the two exchanged rapid punches and kicks back and forth, waiting for the opportunity to catch the other off guard. Oddly enough - to Gohan at least - Dabura kept sneaking glances at a brooding Vegeta. Gohan cocked a brow at this, feeling slightly insulted that his opponent was more interested in someone else other than him.

"If I were you," Gohan began seriously, "I'd worry about the opponent in front of you."

No response.

Gohan's eyes narrowed at this, deliberately putting more force behind his punches and kicks. "If you're that interested in Vegeta, you'll have to defeat me first."

This seemed to catch Dabura's attention, the red-skinned male diverting his dark colored eyes onto the Saiyan before him. Again, he sported that infamous ear-to-ear smirk of his, "You don't say? Well then, perhaps I'll do just that."

And then without further ado, Dabura was all but dodging an roundhouse kick to the face with a jerk of the head backwards. In that same instant, Dabura was quick to form ki blasts in either of his hands then push them together with a grunt. Instead of two individual ki blasts, they were now one huge ki blast and, at such close range, Gohan didn't have much time to act.

"Gohan!" The Surpreme Kai called out worriedly.

Gohan was quick to act, summoning more ki with a battle yell before nullifying Dabura's attack with a ki blast of his own; then, the short-haired Saiyan all but appeared directly before Dabura in blur, positioning his hands above his head.

"Masenko!"

Dabura barely had enough time to maneuver out of the attack's path, but managed to do so nonetheless. And then, by the time Dabura diverted his attention back onto Gohan, the blonde demi-Saiyan was no longer in sight. "Tch."

~0~

"Well, look at what we have here!" The announcer hyped up excitedly. The blonde male distractedly pushed up his black shades with a finger. "It's the Battle Royale, of which Hercule Satan, came up with himself! We have our last fighters in the ring and only one will be victorious! Unfortunately, we had to disqualify another warrior, but I daresay let's get this show on the road folks as we've all waited long enough!"

And then without further ado, following the announcer's signal to start, Jewel and Killa immediately launched towards their intended targets with a push of the foot. A more than spiteful Jewel was charging for Android 18, while Killa was charging for Mighty Mask as both warriors intended to get rid of whom they dubbed to be the weakest links. Unfortunately, for them, both Killa and Jewel made a poor choice and were easily knocked out with a simple punch and kick by Mighty Mask and Android 18 respectively.

The beautiful blonde harrumphed, coolly dropping her leg back down. While she couldn't speak on behalf of Killa, Jewel certainly was a nuisance and the next time he dare to try her, she wouldn't go easy on him. However, she didn't have much time to dwell on him as the one called Mighty Mask was charging towards her.

18 was quick to brace herself, fending off a punch to the chest with a forearm.

She barely felt a thing.

Just like most of the contestants, Mighty Mask was both just as weak and a waste of time. She would admit that he was the strongest out of the other weaklings thus far; however, he was still no match for her. Easily, the blonde leaped upwards and executed a solid twirl kick. The male released a surprised cry as he hurled backwards from the force of Android 18's kick and off of the fighting ring and into the brick wall behind the ring.

Perhaps she could've held back a little more, but it wasn't as if she could do anything about it now.

The announcer blinked owlishly, but quickly caught his bearings. "And just like that we're left with two fighters folks! I wonder who'll come out as the Champ and get 10,000 zeni in the process, 18 or the current champ, Hercule Satan?! This is it folks!"

The blonde bombshell coolly diverted her icy blue eyes onto Hercule, whom looked somewhat flabbergasted. After all, the blonde before him took out two warriors with ease. And here he thought he had gotten lucky since Goku and the others left and Raditz didn't show up in the ring - as he ended up recognizing them from the Cell Games. The World Champion couldn't help but swallow nervously. Maybe he hadn't gotten as lucky as he thought he did. There was just no way he could defeat her, yet he'd be humiliated if he didn't do anything at all.

Hercule mentally cursed as his chest tightened up at the mere thought of him disappointing his fans and Videl. Was there anything he could do to get himself out of this lose-lose situation? Anything at all?

"Mr. Sa~tan! Mr. Sa~tan! Mr. Sa~tan! Mr. Sa~tan!"

Hercule distractedly diverted his eyes onto the chanting audience; they were wildly cheering him on. But the moment he noted that the beautiful blonde was trekking towards him with cool, purposeful steps, what little courage he had received from his fans quickly dwindled. Even so, he couldn't help but slide into his fighting stance as he futilely tried to prepare himself for the icy-eyed blonde.

Meanwhile, Bulma was wholly confused as she looked on aside Chi-Chi. This was far from what she expected when her and Chi-Chi returned from their heart-to-heart. The blue-haired vixen cocked a brow, "Chi? Raditz isn't in the ring with Android 18; am I missing something here?"

The raven-haired woman diverted her onyx eyes onto Bulma's blue ones, "I don't know, Bulma. I could've sworn he was supposed to participate." Then her black eyes were narrowing considerably as she took in a terrified Yamcha. "Too bad we can't ask Yamcha here what's going seeing as he can't even keep up with two kids!"

The scar-faced male paled immediately, apologetically turning to face the two angry women regarding him. "I'm sorry guys! Really," he insisted for what had to be the millionth time, "I am. I just looked away for one second and they were gone!"

Chi-Chi harrumphed, while Bulma crossed her arms over her chest. Her blue eyes narrowed even further. "For your sake, you better hope they're with Raditz; they're only _three_ , Yamcha!"

"I know!" Yamcha hastily agreed. The terrified male turned to Master Roshi and Oolong for help, but they were wisely staying out of it. The male cursed, diverting his attention back onto the angry scientist. Maybe he could get himself out of this mess with reasoning? He decided to give it a shot. "I mean, what's the big deal anyway? It's not like they're your typical three year olds, Bul; they're half Saiyans for goodness sake! Saiyans develop pretty fast, right? I'm sure they just linked up with Goten and Trunks or something!"

Bulma had half a nerve to smack Yamcha in the back of his head, but managed to barely restrain herself. Instead, she released a loud huffed of annoyance, "That's besides the point, Yamcha!"

Chi-Chi shook her head before Bulma, whom had been opening her mouth to continue her rant, could continue. "Just give it a rest, Bulma; you're only wasting your breath with him. Let's just hope that the twins, Goten and Trunks are with Raditz right now; that would at least explain why he's not participating."

Bulma frowned, but nonetheless took in her friend's words. Then, she was exhaling soundlessly as she diverted her blue eyes back onto the match. "Alright," She reluctantly agreed.

As for Hercule Satan, the male still found himself in a fix as the blonde was stalking him like a predator would stalk its prey. In the midst of it all, though, he couldn't help but wonder if looked as terrified as he felt right now. The black-haired male didn't have time to process it as Android 18 was all but lunging for him. Naturally, the male panicked, his purple eyes all but near bulging out of his sockets; however, that was all he had time to do for the blonde Cyborg already had him in a firm headlock.

She cocked the tiniest of smiles as she found herself enjoying the sight of the male panicking even more when he finally realized that he was in her hold. Not to mention, his fans seemed outraged. She harrumphed as this seemed to be a fitting punishment for a man such as himself. She had wholly intended on blackmailing him for the longest and when she later found out the true prize of winning the tournament, she couldn't help but to be grateful that Gohan was wrong. As originally, Gohan had stated that the prize may have been roughly around 500,000 zeni as he was unsure at the time he told everyone about the tournament, but she'd gladly take the 10,000, 000 zeni - and then some.

"Please," the huge male pleaded with fearful eyes. He could imagine that he looked so pathetic to her right now that it was near laughable, but he could care less at the moment; his life was in danger. "Don't hurt me! I'll give you anything you want! Anything at all!"

"Oh?" The blonde cooed lightly. "Anything at all? It seems you're already aware that you can't defeat me."

"Of course, I can't!" Hercule smartly agreed. "There's just no way I could possibly defeat you."

18 smirked. "Good. Now that that's out of the way, I have no problem letting you win. I could really do without the publicity."

Hercule's features lit up at this. He couldn't believe his ears. Was she saying that she'd let him win? In other words, he'd get to remain the World Champion? To his misfortune, however, 18 was quick to shoot him down before his hopes got up too much.

"In return for letting you win, I want the prize money, the 10,000, 000 zeni, and an additional 10,000,000 zeni."

At this, Hercule's purple eyes all but bulged considerably as he registered the blonde's words. "You want 20,000,000 zeni?"

18 had no problem tightening her grip on the male; her eyes narrowed noticeably. "Is that a problem? I thought you wanted to win?"

"Well, I do want to win. I just - "

" - Well, alright then." She interrupted carelessly. "Do we have an agreement or what?"

Hercule sighed in exasperated, but was quick to realize that he didn't really have a choice; not when his fans were all watching him. If he didn't do something soon, they'd lose faith in him and then what would become of him? Hercule shook his head as if to shake away the thought. "Deal!" He finally agreed.

Android 18 harrumphed. "I thought so; smart choice, _World Champion_." And then then blonde was dramatically falling down onto her back. It took a while for Hercule to catch on, but once he did so, the black-haired male was lunging for the fallen blonde.

"Alright!" One cheered happily. "I knew he'd get out of that! That girl's strong, but she's no match for the World Champ!"

18 mock struggled to get up, charging for the male head-on. "That was a lucky shot; and it definitely won't happen again."

Hercule boisterously laughed, playing along with the blonde. "Well then, let's see how you fair against my megaton punch!" And just as he reached her, the male cocked his fist back and hurled it forwards with as much force as he could muster up. "Take _this_!" The male proclaimed heartily as he slammed his fist into her face with a grunt.

Of course, 18 didn't move a muscle - not from such a weak attack.

However, when it became clear that was really all he could do, 18 rolled her eyes in annoyance and "flew" backwards out of the ring with a surprised cry. The beautiful blonde landed on her back outside of the ring with a grimace as she feigned being in pain. The announcer, whom had been observing in slight confusion, snapped out of it when the crowd roared happily.

"Aaaaannnd there you have it folks! Hercule Satan wins again! Looks like he gets to remain the World Champion for another year and probably more to come!"

Hercule Satan proudly put his hands on his waist as he took in the chants of his name yet again. "Of course I won! Did you really think I, the World Champion, would lose?! There's no way such a thing is possible!"

On the inside, however, Hercule couldn't help but sigh in relief. That had been a close call and while she managed to blackmail him out of money, he had no problem with it as long as his status remained as it was. Hopefully, he'd never run into her again as just being with her in the ring was nearly far more than he could endure. The male looked over out of curiosity to see if the blonde was still in the same spot and all but exhaled a sigh of relief when he noted that she was gone.

Thank God.

~0~

"Wait," Marise called out to the three boys in front of her. Her icy blue eyes had all but narrowed and her blonde brows were furrowed in concern. She was well aware that Trunks had all but rolled his eyes, but nonetheless, Trunks and the others stopped mid-flight as they turned to regard her. And once she had their attention, Marise continued, "I don't think we should be doing this. Didn't you hear what Gohan's friend said?"

The eight-year-old half-Saiyan shot her a pointed look. Trunks didn't understand what the big idea was, nor where she was going with this. "So? What about it?"

"It's dangerous and I think we should head back to the tournament along with Videl." Marise insisted futilely. She diverted her icy eyes onto her black-eyed brother. "Right, Taro? If anything we should tell momma and - "

" - No way," Trunks interrupted with distaste before Taro could say anything. "Where's the fun in that? Besides I understand if you and Taro don't want to come, but this is the next best thing for Goten and I since the tournament announcer foiled our plans." Trunks diverted his blue eyes onto Goten's black ones, hands on his hips, "Right?"

"Right." Goten agreed with a firm nod. "Trunks and I were going to enter the tournament disguised as Mighty Mask but before we could, we got kicked out and it's all his fault! Not to mention, the real Mighty Mask ended up waking up sooner than expected, too."

"Exactly," Trunks agreed somewhat sourly. "It was just one thing after another. So, we simply decided to go with the next best thing and follow the others to see why they haven't returned yet. Though, just before we could leave, you guys decided to join us and now after Videl came and told us what's going on, you want to back out." Trunks frowned meaningfully. "That's so typical of you, Marise."

"As always." Taro agreed. "That's why I tried to get her to stay behind before we even met up with you two."

Marise's icy blue eyes widened in slight hurt, falling silent. It wasn't as if she backed out all of the time and even if she wanted to, she never did it if the others didn't reconsider their plans as she didn't want to be left behind. Despite her attempts to not show how hurt she was, her eyes teared up.

"Hey, Trunks! Taro!" Goten suddenly pouted with a frown, "You made her cry! You didn't have to be so mean about it!"

Trunks paled, quickly realizing that getting Goten angry wasn't the wisest move. The son of Vegeta hurriedly diverted his blue eyes onto his teary friend, "Sorry, Marise! I-I didn't mean it okay?"

Goten, frown still in place, diverted his eyes onto Taro's black ones expectantly. Immediately, Taro frowned; nonetheless, he apologized as well. "Sorry," he mumbled quietly.

And without further ado, quarrels aside, they quartet continued their journey.


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: As usual, thanks for all of the continued support; I appreciate all feedback.

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questions&answers:

a guy1013: I'm not sure that I'm even going to do Super to be honest. I'm mostly focused on the Buu Saga and not taking forever to finish it.

coldblue2015: Q1) I'll say that Vegeta will definitely get what he deserves. Q2) Possibly? Hopefully the next few chapters will reveal whether your inklings are correct or not. Q3) They'll definitely feel fear and other emotions; this will be a new experience for the both of them. Q4) If a scene is shown in the afterlife, it'd probably focus more on Vegeta than anyone else. It'd be more of a self-reflection and character development for Vegeta. Q5) That would be a good way to end everything, wouldn't it? That would be a pretty awesome idea, tbh.

S1) I definitely agree with this suggestion; Vegeta really deserves it and there's going to be a perfect time to develop him as a character. S2&3) As stated above, this next few chapters should explain things a bit clearly. And you're definitely right about Marise and Taro, they're not like Trunks and Goten. Trunks and Goten have completely mastered SSJ, while they haven't even come close to it. The things they're bound to face could led to potential character growth for Marise and Taro. S4) Having the Cold family and their view points is definitely something I would not have thought of and I have to say I find it pretty interesting. S5) I completely agree as this would make for a good epilogue/ending indeed.

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Next chapter will feature plenty more to come. We're getting to the good stuff slowly but surely.

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Chapter 10: Evil From Within?! Bulma's Broken Heart.

* * *

"There you are." 18 noted with a cocked brow. The blonde bombshell had a hand on her hip as she trekked towards her towel-clad husband. Out of all places, she would have never expected him to be in the men's locker room. If anything, she thought that maybe he decided to leave the tournament. However, the minute he dropped his mental barrier was when she was finally able to get in contact with him.

The male in question turned his head around just enough to regard his wife out of the corner of his eyes momentarily, then he diverted his attention back in front of him as he continued toweling his hair dry. He wasn't in the mood to talk to her.

Of course, 18 realized this but she blatantly ignored it, going as far as to sit down and cross a leg over the other. "You didn't participate in the tournament."

"Didn't you want to blackmail Hercule?" The burly Saiyan inquired pointedly, and then before he could stop himself, he continued, "Or did I fail to do something else that you wanted?"

18's icy blue eyes widened in mild surprise but then she quickly recovered. He was referring to when she accused him of not giving her time to come around like he promised. Granted, she tended to need time to come around as she was never one to open up under being prodded, but that didn't mean that she couldn't see how it must have been hard for him to wait around for her to open up.

Albeit, she was realizing this a little late.

"I didn't go through the trouble of finding you to argue again, Raditz."

Raditz cocked a brow. "What do you mean 'trouble of finding me'? I may have closed you off through our bond, but I didn't bother masking my ki. You couldn't sense my ki?"

"No."

The Saiyan frowned, now turning around to face her. "But you were able to sense what I was feeling with the others earlier and you seemed to pick up on it pretty easily when we trained."

"That's true." The blonde agreed. Then again, this wasn't the first time it didn't seem to work for her when she tried to apply it outside of training with Raditz. If her memory served her correctly, it didn't seem to work against Zangya during the Bojack ordeal. Perhaps it was because learning it in a pretty stable environment was one thing, but actually applying it in battle or away from said environment she learned it in was another.

And as if reading her thoughts, Raditz spoke once more. "It probably didn't work with me or work any other time you tried to do it because you were either concentrating too hard or not enough. Don't forget what I told you about it being similar to gathering ki in a way; it needs just the right amount of concentration each time and it's pretty useful for location purposes and you can typically tell if the ki is evil or good. Further, the more ki you feel out or tend to be around, it can be a bit challenging depending on the situation."

The blonde bombshell hummed lightly in agreement.

Then, there was a pregnant pause as the two fell silent - though, neither of the two could summon words it seemed. In Raditz's case, he opted to remain quiet so as to curb his gnawing curiosity and 18 simply didn't know how to go about apologizing. After all, apologizing wasn't something she typically had to do. Fortunately for her, Raditz eventually decided to give it another shot. Exhaling soundlessly, he trekked towards his wife and plopped down on the chair so that he was directly beside her.

"I needed to think, so taking a hot shower was the next best thing aside from training." Though he didn't need to necessarily explain himself, the Saiyan felt that by doing so, it'd make things less tense between them.

And to some extent, it seemed to work as 18's form relaxed noticeably. The beautiful blonde absentmindedly tucked a blonde strand back in place, her stoic features easing up in just the slightest - yet noticeable - ways. "I'm sorry; you had every right to get upset."

Raditz hummed his agreement. "I did, but I shouldn't have handled it that way. Like you said, I did say I'd let you come around on your own, but that was much easier said than done."

"I know," 18 began. "Even so, you have a right to know what's going on. Like you said, things are different between us now, so I'm going to start from the beginning - back to when I had my first nightmare."

~0~

Dabura's features became that of irritation as his eyes continued scanning his surroundings.

Just how long did he plan to keep him waiting? Or rather, how much longer did Gohan intend to remain hidden?

The Demon King harrumphed as he dropped his arms down from his chest and down to his sides. The red-skinned warrior clenched his fists. If he wasn't going to come out anytime soon, then he'd just have to make him. And having said that, Dabura powered up with an battle yell, extending his arms to the side as he did so. If one looked close enough, they could see sparks of lightning here and there as well as indentations forming on the surrounding landmark as pure testament to the power he was summoning.

Having finished powering up in a matter of minutes, Dabura inhaled noticeably; his cheeks were swelling up little by litte as his back arched. Then, without further ado, Dabura circled around and spew out an immense amount of lava as he did so. Without fail, this was sure to pull his opponent of his hiding spot.

And that it did.

In no time, Gohan was phasing in and appearing directly before Dabura, sending the male hurling down towards the ground. Dabura grunted, having somehow managed to fend off the kick with his forearms, but that did little to stop against Gohan a second time as Gohan was phasing in behind him and all but slamming his knee into Dabura's back. Dabura's eyes widened in a mixture of surprise and pain before he was involuntarily hurling up in the direction Gohan sent him. Then, aiming a palm towards a rapidly ascending Dabura, Gohan summoned more power with a battle yell before charging up an excess amount of ki.

He'd finish this now.

He wouldn't make the same mistake he made with Cell.

" _HA!_ " Gohan exclaimed loudly with utter convinction, sending the huge ki blast towards a wide-eyed Dabura.

"What?" Dabura echoed to no one in particular. How could a mere mortal have such power? And still be on par with him, of whom was powered up, at that? This group was a mysterious one. The Demon King was quick to cease his thoughts, all but summoning a sword out of what appeared to be thin-air. Then, he was quick to whirl around in an attempt to redirect Gohan's attack, but was faced with otherwise as such a thing was much easier said than done. He grunted, the one hand he had resting on the hilt of his sword trembling under the mere force.

The Demon King was notably struggling to overpower Gohan's ki blast.

"Alright!" Goku cheered on from where he stood. "He's doing good! I'm almost jealous. After all, Vegeta and I got the - "

" - the short end of the stick with our opponents." Vegeta finished with a scowl. "Our opponents were nothing!" Then the Saiyan prince was all but smirking as he ignored Goku's and Tarble's inquisitive look and kept his eyes trained on Gohan's and Dabura's fight. "Well, then, Kakarot - " Vegeta diverted his eyes back onto Goku - "looks like that weakling brother of yours was good for something."

Goku tilted his head to the side, not quite understanding where Vegeta was getting at. "What do you mean, Vegeta?"

Vegeta was quick to respond, his narrowed black eyes flickering onto his rival's black ones. "Exactly as I said it, Kakarot. If it wasn't for that third-class Saiyan, Gohan probably would've slacked off with his training and who's to say what more could've happened."

"Oh, I see." Goku responded easily. Now he knew what Vegeta was getting at. He supposed it was a good thing that someone kept Gohan on his toes. Otherwise, he probably would've fell pretty behind in terms of strength. Even so, he wouldn't be surprised if Gohan had more dormant power stored within him - just like what he discovered when they trained together in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber during the Cell Games years back. If there was anything he knew for sure, it was that Gohan always had a knack for things like that.

Goku smiled. "Well, in that case, this fight will be over pretty soon, right Vegeta?"

Vegeta didn't bother responding. Instead, he accusingly regarded the cheery Saiyan on his side. There was just something he needed to know. He had intended to wait until they returned to the tournament, but something told him that tournament was long over; thus, there really wasn't any reason to wait any longer. "Tell me Kakarot, have you sensed it, too? There's no way you're completely ignorant to what's been going on here while you've been in Other World."

Despite Vegeta's accusing words, Goku remained as is and his smile never faltered in the slightest. "Sensed what?"

Vegeta released a huff of annoyance, clenching his fingers against his arms. Was he seriously trying to insult his intelligence right now? Kakarot, of all people?! "Don't toy with me, Kakarot! I know you sensed Raditz's new form!"

Goku's features quickly grew serious and that proved everything Vegeta needed to know - right then and there. Vegeta's eyes narrowed even more if possible and the displeasure was clear on his scowling features. More than anything, he wanted to say that he couldn't believe it, but in actuality he could. It never came to him as a surprise whenever he found out that he was behind Kakarot once again, but such a thing didn't make Vegeta any less angry about it. He clenched his fists; he had been training just as hard as Kakarot and Raditz and yet they both managed to leave him behind.

His onyx eyes spitefully diverted onto Gohan. If that was the case, then where was he in terms of strength compared to Kakarot's half-breed? The mere thought alone was enough to make the Saiyan Prince growl and the Supreme Kai couldn't help but look on worriedly. Something wasn't right.

"I don't get it," Vegeta muttered angrily. "What the hell is so different about us that a Prince, someone such as myself, falls behind?! I'm in a higher league than the lot of you! I'm an Elite warrior!"

Goku paled slightly. "H-Hey, Vegeta, I know you're a little upset, but calm - "

" - Don't tell me to calm down!" Vegeta snapped bitterly. "You weren't even going to tell me about this new form, were you? As usual, I always have to be the last to know about everything!"

And while Vegeta continued on his rant, Goku did nothing but listen on quietly as there wasn't much he could do. Meanwhile, both Tarble and the Supreme Kai were at a lost for how to handle the quickly escalating situation between the two Saiyan warriors, while Dabura couldn't help but be drawn to the heated Saiyan. Despite the situation he was in with Gohan, Dabura couldn't help but smirk. He was so absorbed in what was going on between Vegeta and Goku that he failed to notice that Gohan had but a considerable amount of excess ki behind his attack, all but forcing his sword to snap in half.

Dabura's eyes widened, quickly becoming engulfed in Gohan's ki blast and released a pained grunt. He made the mistake of getting careless - something of which nearly cost him his life.

 _'Dabura!' Babidi yelled. The green wizard had his tiny fists balled up and his eyes were all but narrowed and full of displeasure. 'What is the meaning of this?!'_

The Demon King was quick to respond, closing his eyes. _'Forgive me, Master, but I couldn't hope but notice something worthwhile.'_

Babidi wasn't convinced. _'Something worthwhile enough to near cost you your life? We can't afford to be beaten here, Dabura! Majin Buu must be revived at all costs!'_

 _"I'm well aware, Master; however, I still ask that you take us back to the ship. I'm sure this plan will speed up the process for us. We won't even have to lift a finger if all goes accordingly.'_

 _Babidi fell silent for a bit, but it certainly didn't take him long to dwell on it. 'Very well,' he finally answered. 'I'll hear you out.'_

And just like that, the warriors found themselves back onto Babidi's ship within seconds. Immediately, Gohan, whom had been pursing an injured Dabura, came to a stop. The half-Saiyan was all but confused and his features wholly reflected this. The teen Saiyan cast a glance over his shoulder, quickly noting that everyone else was just as confused.

"What's going on?" Tarble inquired. The younger brother of Vegeta asked the question everyone was mulling over internally and the Supreme Kai was the first one to respond, his eyes warily looking around.

"That's what I'm trying to figure out." The Supreme Kai muttered. His eyes accusingly diverted onto Dabura, whom was shakily rising to his feet with a smirk. Shin narrowed his eyes meaningfully. "Explain what's going on this instant; what's the meaning of this?"

Dabura released a low chuckle, his broad shoulders shaking in conjunction. "There's been a slight tweak to the plan is all." The warriors still looked confused and as Dabura eased into the only door on said level, he decided to explain a little more - albeit, it was still pretty vague. "Master Babidi and I decided to recruit a new addition. From here on out, things will be much more entertaining."

The Demon King had nothing more to say to them, retreating away behind closed doors. Vegeta, whom had been irritated as is, scoffed. It was just one thing after another and Vegeta about near had it with everything. From sensing Raditz's new form over the years, the tournament getting interrupted and getting caught up with the Supreme Kai and his affairs; thus, postponing their fight and now this? "You've got to be kidding me. What, _now?_ "

The others barely had time to respond to Vegeta's question, before the Saiyan Prince was suddenly tensing. Then there was an immense discomfort - no, pain - overwhelming his head out of no where; he all but grasped his head in an futile attempt to stop whatever it was going on. However, it ended up getting so unbearable to the point where the shorter Saiyan was all but hunched over.

Vegeta was releasing pained, disgruntled cries.

"Brother!" Tarble called out worriedly, his brows furrowed together in evident concern. "What's wrong?!"

The Saiyan Prince all but fell to his knees, throwing his head back as he clawed at his head with his fingers. He couldn't describe it, but it felt as if he was being attacked from the inside. Somehow he managed to get this out to a worried Goku and the others whom wanted to know what was going on, but another wave of immense pain washed over him and prevented him from hearing what the others said in response.

"Oh, no!" Shin cried in disbelief. The male had pieced everything together after a bout of silence. The new recruit Dabura was talking about was none other than Vegeta himself! How could he have been so stupid? Even he could tell that Vegeta was nothing like the others. Goku, Gohan, and Tarble were all pure and didn't seem to have an inch of evil in their bones at all. Vegeta, on the other hand, was extremely arrogant and lacked the same conviction and personality that the others had; Vegeta had a much darker nature compared to the rest. Of course Dabura would take note of Vegeta's personality! Why else would Dabura interrupt a fight, of which they could gather energy for Majin Buu?

This was horrible! There was no telling what would happen if Babidi managed to gain control of Vegeta; the Saiyan was hard enough to deal with as is! Shin swallowed thickly, his eyes fearfully wide as he regarded the Saiyan writhing around in pain. "Vegeta, no! At all costs, you must fight back! Babidi's using a spell on you!"

"I-I'm trying!" Vegeta responded back, powering up to that of Super Saiyan with a yell.

Naturally, Babidi wasn't having that. Sneakily, as if he wasn't doing enough already, Babidi made it much harder for Vegeta to resist with a few additional words as he refused to allow this opportunity to slip past them. Dabura was on to something and with Vegeta on their side, there would be truly nothing that would stop them. The three of them together could destroy Earth and many planets - universes, even - with no trouble at all. All of humanity would perish by their hands.

And as if giving it all he had on his end as well, Vegeta released a final strangled battle cry.

He was attempting to overwhelm the monstrous energy cackling in the form of red sparks around his yellow, Super Saiyan aura. Though, to the eyes of those looking on, the monstrous red sparks of energy seemed to do nothing but engulf and swallow the energy Vegeta was releasing. It was an energy so horrible, that the others couldn't will themselves to approach the struggling Saiyan.

Eventually, as Vegeta's strangled cries died down and the ki encasing him disappeared entirely, Goku worked up the courage to approach the Saiyan of which was awkwardly slumped over on his knees.

"Wait," The Supreme Kai called out, hurriedly cutting off Goku's path to the Saiyan.

Goku shot him a confused look. "Wha - ?"

" - I'm afraid it's too late for him now."

Tarble's eyes widened at Shin's words, hoping that there was a chance that he had misheard the purple-skinned male. His agape mouth closed and opened back up several times as he battled on whether or not to confirm his fears. "Did you just say...?" Tarble shook his head before he could finish, refusing to accept what was taking place let alone repeat it. "That can't be right! My brother would never fall for a cheap trick like this!" Tarble diverted his eyes onto Vegeta, "Right, brother?!"

But to his utter horror, when Vegeta finally caught his bearings and stood upright, there was an all too familiar mark on Vegeta's forehead.

Followed by a dark, sadistic chuckle.

~0 ~

"And that pretty much sums it up." Android 18 finished. It had been much harder than she thought to tell Raditz about both nightmares, but she managed to get through it and Raditz had been nothing but patient and attentive as she did so.

A now fully dressed Raditz on the other hand couldn't help but mull over everything his wife told him. In truth, he didn't know what disturbed him more - the nightmares, or the fact that they either consisted of something that has already happened or something that was going to happen. And as if pure testament to what his wife had relayed to him had thoroughly shaken him up, he suddenly found it difficult to swallow. In its stead was a rebellious lump of saliva.

All in all, the Saiyan warrior couldn't recall the last time he felt such an emotion as it has been years, but he remembered it all too well:

 _Fear._

"Raditz?" Android 18 prodded after a bout of silence. Her blonde brows were furrowed in concern as she regarded the male as he had a thin coat of sweat on his features. Her icy blue eyes diverted down onto her wrist, grimacing slightly. Even his tail was curled around her wrist and it usually remained wrapped around his waist at all times disguised as a belt.

The long-haired Saiyan snapped out of his stupor upon hearing his wife speak. Part of him was swallowed by fear, and the other half of him was filled with the overwhelming urge to protect. His instincts was kicking in full gear and his heart was beating at least twice its normal rate. He suddenly rose to his feet, having made up his mind as he did so. The long-haired Saiyan briskly made his way towards the door of the locker rooms, "Maybe I should have went with them, after all."

Initially, 18 had been too stunned to move, but the moment she saw her husband opening the door and trekking out of the room. She quickly got up and followed behind him, icy blue eyes wide. "Raditz?" She called again.

No response.

The long-haired Saiyan continued walking, much too absorbed in his own thoughts. 18 did manage to piece together that he was most likely heading back towards the ring - where the tournament had finished up not too long ago - at least. The closer they got to the ring, the louder the cheers of the overzealous fans became; it seemed that they were still pretty hype about Hercule's win. Usually, she'd snort at the irony of it all, but she couldn't seem to find it within herself to dwell on it. Her husband was acting in a way she has never seen before and it was scaring her.

This wasn't the reaction she expected - or rather, it was a far cry from what she expected.

And seeing as calling his name wasn't working, she tried a different approach grabbing her husband's hand mid-stride. "Raditz!" She called a bit firmer, her icy blue eyes narrowing. They were within sight of the ring now and the crowd was still cheering wildly as Hercule shamelessly wallowed in the midst of it all. She ignored them, her eyes focused on Raditz instead. "You're scaring me."

Raditz's eyes widened, whirling around to face his wife. The male exhaled - in an attempt to get himself back under control. Having somewhat succeeded, he apologized. "Sorry about that, Lazuli. That's the last thing I wanted to do." His onyx eyes had a much more serious tone to it than 18 was used to dealing with - or rather, it was something she hadn't witnessed in a while. "But I meant it when I said I was going to protect our family. I'm going to check on Chi-Chi, Bulma, and the kids and then I'm going to - "

" - Gohan and...Goku?" 18 suddenly called out wide-eyed. Her expression mirrored that of the audience and Hercule Satan as they were all equally confused. "The Supreme Kai, Tarble, and Vegeta are back as well it seems. I don't understand. How did they just appear like that? You and Goku are the only ones that know instant transmission, right?"

Raditz cocked a brow, turning around to take in the scene aside his wife. It was just as she stated. Kakarot, Gohan, Vegeta, Tarble and the Supreme Kai were all standing in the middle of the ring. His black brows furrowed more if possible. But where were the others? Where was Piccolo and Krillin? And why was Vegeta in his Super Saiyan form when he was surrounded by nothing by allies? There was no enemies amongst them and the more Raditz observed the scene aside his wife, the less it made sense. Just what the hell was going on here?

And why the hell did Vegeta have an 'M' on his forehead? Why the hell did that insignia look so familiar?

"Isn't that the same insignia on the ones that attacked Gohan earlier?"

Raditz's eyes widened, realizing that the blonde beside him was right. "Yeah," he muttered, "but what the hell is it doing on Vegeta? As long as I've worked with Vegeta in the past, I think I would've noticed it by now."

The announcer, standing aside Hercule, seemed to inquire about this as well - unaware that Raditz and 18 were trying to figure out the same thing. "Goku? Vegeta? Is that...you guys?" The blonde-haired male seemed to fail to capture the severity of the situation, recklessly approaching the duo. "I'm sorry guys," He began apologetically, "but the tournament is over. I'm afraid you guys were a little too late; but hey, there's always next ye - "

" - Wait," The Supreme Kai called out hurriedly. " _Please_ , stay where you are! I beg of you!"

Majin Vegeta harrumphed, an evil smirk crossing his features as he deliberately flared his ki; this action sent both Hercule and the announcer hurling backwards and off of the ring. Luckily, Tarble and Gohan were quick to act, catching both males and getting them back to safety. This was of no concern to Vegeta however, the Super Saiyan, diverting his cold gaze onto his target.

Which was none other than Son Goku.

"Kakarot," Vegeta declared with a smirk. The male extended his arm towards the wide-eyed Saiyan, his thumb laying in the middle of his palm as he prepared to fire out a ki blast towards the male. "Prepare yourself."

The Supreme Kai's eyes widened in pure fear. "No!" He cried out, "Vegeta, what are you doing?! There's millions of people here!"

"He's right, Vegeta! Get ahold of yourself!"

Vegeta blatantly ignored the Supreme Kai's and Goku's plea, firing out his ki blast anyway. Goku barely had time to cross his forearms before Vegeta's attack collided, and the Saiyan was noticeably sliding back. The spiky-haired Saiyan was in his base state, after all. If he didn't do something soon, this wouldn't end well. Not to mention, he had to consider the lives of everyone behind him. Why would Babidi transport them here of all places in the first place?! There was just no way he wasn't aware of the danger this would put others in! Even as Goku dwelled on this mentally, that did little to stop Vegeta from putting more energy into his ki blast and ultimately forcing Goku off of the ring.

The Saiyan lost his footing as a result, the ki blast continuing on and ultimately colliding into the stands parallel to Vegeta; it incinerated upon contact, taking thousands of innocent lives with it.

"No!" The Supreme Kai called out. "They're innocent people! They have no part in this!"

Immediately, what had been loud and joyous cheers from the spectators, turned to cries of fear as they hurriedly dashed for safety.

Tarble, open mouth and wide eyed, fell to his knees as he was utterly distraught. He didn't think he could bare to watch anymore. This all seemed like a horrible nightmare that wouldn't allow them to wake up or escape. He all but clamped his hand over his mouth as the memory of thousands of people dying made him recoil.

Likewise, a certain blue-haired scientist was thinking along the same lines with wide-eyes. Unlike Tarble, however, she couldn't force her eyes off of the scene before them even if she wanted to.

Besides, there had to be some sort of mistake, right? The Vegeta she knew would have never done something like this. And just what in the world was going on in the first place? What reason would Vegeta have to kill all of those innocent people like that? The overwhelmed mother brought her palms to her forehead, raking her shaky fingers through her blue hair. Bulma's blue eyes all but welled up with tears. "Ve...ge..ta?"

Unfortunately, for Bulma and Tarble, the horrid screams harshly reminded them that this was indeed reality. At this, Bulma released a choked cry as the tears that formed all but ran down the sides of her face.

Meanwhile, 18 could do nothing but gape, her lips slightly parted as she took in what was left of the scene before them. "I've never seen this side of him. This is - "

" - inexcusable." Raditz interrupted with narrowed eyes. "What the hell does he think he's doing? The kids, his kid, and Bulma are here for crying out loud." By pure coincidence, his eyes managed to snag sight of all-too-familiar blue hair and his eyes widened at the sight of his blue-haired friend. Even from here, he could tell that she was distraught. Raditz released a growl as he powered up to Super Saiyan himself, clenching his fists and taking a step forwards. "Regardless, Kakarot better do something about this soon, or I'll kill him myself."

"Don't get any ideas. We don't even know what's going on," 18 reminded her husband, latching onto his arm. "Besides, putting you and Vegeta's dislike for one another aside, do you really think you could kill Bulma's husband? She loves him, right? Furthermore, there's Trunks. Could you explain to an eight-year-old why you killed his father?"

Raditz's eyes widened at this, reluctantly powering down. "Then what do you suggest I do? Leave this to Kakarot?"

At this 18 fell silent, seemingly considering her next words. Granted, none of them really knew what was going on, but Raditz did have a valid point.

As far as Vegeta, the male kept his teal eyes on Goku's angry black ones. He was unfazed by Goku's anger towards him. If anything, he was amused and this was more than clear. "Well? Unless you want more bodies on your conscience, I suggest you make up your mind."

Goku narrowed his eyes further despite the situation. "I'm appalled that you would even say something like that. Your actions were absolutely disgusting and I'm disgusted with the fact that you allowed yourself to be controlled! I thought you were stronger than that, Vegeta! How dare you allow Babidi to enslave you like some animal?"

Gohan and the Supreme Kai's eyes widened at Goku's boldness, whirling their heads around to regard the male. "Dad!" Gohan called out in disbelief, "If you continue talking like that, Vegeta really will kill more people!"

"Gohan's right!" Shin agreed. "This isn't the way to handle things! I think we should all - "

Though, before Shin could even finish, Vegeta was all but summoning another ki blast and taking out another thousand of people in the process. For the second time, horrified and distraught screams rung out and this seemed to be the last straw for Goku; the spiky-haired male had all but powered up to his Super Saiyan form with dangerously narrowed teal eyes.

Vegeta smirked. "That's more like it. I take it you've come to your senses."

"Unfortunately, I can't say the same thing for you." And having said that, Goku all but made his way towards Vegeta with purposeful steps. "Look at what you're doing to your poor brother and the innocent lives around you! Have you no shame?"

"Dad," Gohan called out quickly, "Stop it! This clearly isn't the place for this!"

"I agree!" Shin jumped in, going as far as to cut in between Goku and Vegeta. Goku stopped mid-stride, his teal eyes taking in Vegeta's amusement-filled eyes. Shin was quick to continue, elaborating. "Besides, this is exactly what Babidi wants! Why else would he transport us here? The people Vegeta are killing are being used as both fuel to revive Majin Buu and to goad you two into fighting to draw out more energy. Don't you understand?"

Goku didn't respond. Instead, he lifted up a palm and summoned ki in the center of said palm. "There's no other option, Supreme Kai. Now please, move out of the way."

Shin's eyes widened. "Goku! You can't be serious! What about Majin Buu?"

"Don't make me repeat myself."

Shin's eyes narrowed. "Then in that case, I refuse to move from this spot! I will not allow you to engage Vegeta; doing so will only give Babidi what he wants!"

But Goku didn't budge, going as far as to summon more ki.

Shin's eyes widened in fear - as did Gohan's.

"D-Dad, what you doing? He's the Supreme Kai!"

"Stay out of this, Gohan." It was a simple order but Gohan knew better than to talk back and reluctantly piped down. On the other hand, Shin was forced to realize that Goku was absolutely serious about getting to Vegeta and caved. The male exhaled, reluctantly stepping out of Goku's way.

"Alright, Babidi, you want me to fight Vegeta, right? The only way I'll do that is if you move us to another place."

For a moment, it didn't seem as if there would be any response, but in no time, the group of four quickly found themselves back where they started; Babidi's ship.

Silence.

Despite the newfound situation, it didn't take long for the Supreme Kai to come up with an idea and all but asked for Gohan's and Tarble's assistance. The latter was still rather distraught, but the Supreme Kai figured that maybe the three of them could handle this before things got blown out of proportion even more. Perhaps, this would even take Tarble's mind off of things for a while. If they could locate Babidi and Dabura and take them out or even somehow destroy the confinement Buu was in without tampering with it too much, then maybe there was still hope after all.

"Gohan, Tarble," The Supreme Kai called out expectantly, "Let's leave things here to Goku. At this point, all we can do is give it our best and try our hardest; the fate of the universe rests on our hands."

Tarble weakly nodded his agreement, deliberately avoiding so much as a gaze in Vegeta's direction. Even if he wasn't sure he'd be able to aide Gohan and the Supreme Kai much, being with them was certainly better than staying here.


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: Thank you everyone for all of your support and feedback!

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questions&answers

coldblue2015: **Q1** ): Vegeta and Bulma have not completed the Saiyan ritual yet and really, Bulma doesn't even know about it to be honest. We're going to see more of 18/Raditz's connection and it's one of my goals to get Bulma and Vegeta just as connected. **Q2)** : Android 18 will definitely get her prize money after the Buu Saga. 20,000,000 zeni is a lot of money, after all. **Q3)** : I think you'll find your answer with this chapter. **Q4:)** Tien is definitely aware, but is all the more reluctant to leave Launch alone in her condition. **Q5):** If I go into the DBS saga, I probably won't do another separate story. I think continuing as is (as Wave of Return) is best because it would give more opportunity for lots of Bulma/Vegeta interaction and 18/Raditz interaction. Strangely enough, I really don't feel like I worked on either of their relationships as much as I should have - as 'Second Chances', the prequel, was more centered on Raditz only.

We'd also probably get some Goku/Chi-Chi because this pairing is seriously underrated. It's way better than Naruto/Hinata in my opinion because Akira didn't introduce any love rivals for Goku and kept it clearly understood that Goku and Bulma were just friends, while Kishimoto did a bit of a triangle and made it a bit more complicated. Ultimately, I supported Naruto/Sakura as I figured it'd be good character development for Sakura to get over Sasuke, but oh well and Sakura was the girl Naruto wanted from day 1. I really have no problem with Naruto/Hinata, it's just that it could've been done wayyy better and had more of a built up and not a shitty reason as to why Naruto stopped loving Sakura. He isn't quite as idiotic as Goku, so I didn't buy it.

Sorry for going off on a bit of tangent. Anyway, I do agree with your suggestions and I especially agree that this is going to put a strain on Bulma's and Vegeta's relationship. They should have a bit of a struggle and Vegeta shouldn't just waltz back in and everything be fine. Launch and Tien would be pretty interesting to see but I'm going to wait a bit before showing what's going on between them. And it's actually because of this story that Raditz became one of my favorite characters and it's because of that that I'm really not bored with this story honestly; It's just a lot of work and I update slower than I'd like to due to college. Thankfully, I'm a senior so that makes things slightly bearable.

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Commence to the good stuff down below!

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Chapter 11: Goku vs. Vegeta!

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"You idiot." 18 insulted with narrowed icy blue eyes at the terrified male before her.

She couldn't believe what she was seeing.

Neither Marise, nor Taro were in the stands like they were supposed to be and, as if losing two three year old twins wasn't bad enough already, neither were Goten, and Trunks. The blonde-haired woman's eyes narrowed even more if possible, and the male on the receiving end of her scrutinizing gaze, shifted around in his seat uncomfortably. Yamcha was well aware that he needed to apologize lest he'd face more than her wrath.

Be that as it may, it was a challenge to even open his mouth given the circumstances. However, he managed to do so anyway. "I'm really sorry, 18."

18 harrumphed coldly, folding her arms across her bust. "You should be."

Then, the blonde was shifting her attention onto her husband, a slight frown on her features.

He was trying his best to console the crying blue-haired scientist in his arms, but even he and Chi-Chi together couldn't manage to calm her down. 18 couldn't imagine how Bulma was feeling at the moment and didn't fault her in the slightest for how she felt. As soon as Goku and the others left, her and Raditz were quick to check on the others and the kids. Naturally, they expected everyone to be shaken up, but they hadn't expected the kids to be off on their own.

This situation was getting too out of hand.

"Shit," Raditz muttered, diverting his eyes onto his sister-in-law, "I don't know what the hell is going on, but I'm going to go find out myself. Keep an eye on Bulma, will you?"

Chi-Chi looked half-offended, her brows furrowing up considerably. "Of course I will. Bulma's been there for me so many times, after all; this is the least I can do."

"Yeah," Yamcha agreed. "We'll take care of her."

Master Roshi hummed his agreement, uncharacteristically serious. "That aside, I fear that if something isn't done soon; things can only get worse. I have a bad feeling - and it's one I haven't felt in a while."

"Yamcha," Susan called out worriedly, clutching her lover's hand. "I'm scared." This wasn't what she expected when she heard that they were going to be attending an tournament. How could something meant for enjoyment and fun turn into something like this? A nightmare?

"I know," he muttered back, placing a hand atop of hers and trying his best to comfort her.

"If Bulma's like this," Ranfan began, just as worried and diverting attention onto herself, "I can't even imagine how Tarble's feeling. Isn't there anything we can do to help? I feel so useless."

"On top of that, Krillin hasn't returned either," Maron muttered worriedly.

Bulma sniffled, finally managing to get somewhat of a hold over herself. Shakily, she wiped away at her tears. "Well, there is one thing we can do." She began, referring to Ranfan's question. "When Videl finally gets here we can go look for the Dragon Balls; the first thing I want to do is wish everyone that Vegeta...killed back to life."

Dear Kami, it was so hard to utter the words seeing as the words alone was enough to make her near vomit.

Raditz cocked a brow, "Don't push yourself too hard. I mean given the situation I say you should take it easy for a while."

Bulma shook her head 'no'. "Doing something like this will help keep my mind off of things for a bit. Besides, this is something I have to do."

Raditz didn't argue with her about it, figuring that she has been through enough as is. "In that case, I can speed up the process and Instant Transmission Videl here." The long-haired Saiyan gently pulled back from Bulma and placed two fingers atop of his forehead. He closed his eyes, concentrating on what he remembered what Videl's ki felt like and in a matter of seconds, eyes shooting open, he was gone.

Poor Videl didn't know what hit her, her purple eyes widening in surprise at the bulky Saiyan before her. She had all but near ran into him. And it certainly didn't help that her flying still wasn't all that perfected, either. "Wha - ?"

"Come with me." He ordered, grasping her arm and then seemingly disappearing in thin air. By the time Videl was finally able to process what was going on, she was falling down onto her hands and knees. She was rather exhausted from flying, after all. Despite this, she was quick to realize that she was surrounded by all-too-familiar faces.

She blinked a few times in confusion.

"Alright," Raditz stated suddenly before anyone could speak. He was placing his fingers to his forehead again. "I'll instant transmission the kids next and then I'm off."

And without further ado, Raditz was gone in a blur, all but appearing in a similar fashion before the four half-Saiyans. He was torn between giving them an earful right then and there and relief that they were all okay. The long-haired Saiyan went with the latter given that time was of the essence.

"Papa!" Marise called out happily, followed by an just as eager Goten. "Uncle Raditz!"

His gaze softened slightly, "Let's go. You're all coming with me."

Of course, there wasn't much of a fight that they could put up against Raditz, so they had no choice but to go with the Saiyan - lest they wanted to be in even more trouble than they already were. Similar to when Raditz appeared with Videl, he appeared back just as quick with all four kids in tow. The kids having realized where they were, immediately half-protested, but the looks on some of the adults faces said otherwise. Trunks picked this out especially quick, noticing his mom's red face; the eight-year-old was alarmed near instanteously.

"Raditz," 18 called out quickly as the male was near seconds away from heading to where the others were. Out of the corner of her eyes, she noted that Trunks was more absorbed with his mother while Chi-Chi all but had the twins and Goten in a big hug. "I'm coming with you." She diverted her attention onto the twins and Goten, her icy eyes narrowing before they could say anything. "Leave from Bulma's and Chi-Chi's side again, and you're all in big trouble." She guaranteed.

And judging by the expressions on their faces, it was clear they wholly intended on listening.

~0~

"You have no idea how long I've longed for this moment!" Vegeta declared with a wide smirk as he took in his opponent parallel to him. His heart was beating wildly with anticipation and his hands were trembling with pure excitement; he couldn't stop them even if he wanted to.

Goku merely narrowed his eyes teal eyes. He couldn't believe how selfish Vegeta was being. Didn't he think about anyone other then himself for once? Had he been mistaken in thinking that Bulma and Trunks had made a positive impact on Vegeta's character? The spiky-haired Saiyan clenched his fists. Contrary to Vegeta, his blood wasn't boiling with excitement, his blood was boiling with anger. In a way, he felt betrayed and Goku could only imagine that Tarble and Bulma felt the same way as well.

Perhaps even worse.

And the fool dared to regard him with such a self-righteous smirk? As if what he was doing what right? Or rather justifiable? The mere thought along with Vegeta's smirk made Goku sick to his stomach; nonetheless, he'd take care of this. He didn't want to give too much energy to Majin Buu, so Super Saiyan 3 was out of the question. That state would take way too long for him to enter and then atop of entering it, fighting Vegeta in it would cause more damage to the situation than it was worth. All in all, it'd look like they'd be duking it out in SSJ2. Perhaps skipping the typical warm-up would make at least somewhat of a difference.

Goku voiced just this, jumping into his SSJ2 form with ease. Of course, his concerns went right over Vegeta's head as Vegeta was merely concerned with fighting him, but as long as Vegeta didn't cause anymore of a fuss than he did so already, Goku didn't care. The most he could do on his end was settle this quickly.

"I'm glad we're skipping the warm-up." Vegeta noted with an ear-to-ear smirk. The Saiyan Prince mirrored Goku's actions and jumped into his Super Saiyan 2 form with a brief battle cry. "Though, I must say, if you don't intend to show me your new form, Kakarot, I'll just have to force it out of you myself!"

Lightning violently cackled around both men as they regarded one another with different convictions in mind. Neither of the two men cared if the other understood one another at this point, the only thing that mattered to either of them at the moment was fighting for what they believed in whole-heartedly. Then, quicker than the eyes could perceive, Vegeta was launching for Goku and all but put him on the end of a rapid barrage of punches. Goku quickly evaded said punches with the jerk of the head here and there, but still got caught by a knee to the midsection.

Goku's eyes widened as he felt the breath all but being knocked out of him and all but spluttered up blood as a result. Unfortunately, Vegeta didn't stop there, roughly slamming his elbow down atop of Goku's back and the spiky-haired Saiyan grimaced painfully as he spiraled downwards from the sheer force. Even so, he wasn't one to be outdone and quickly phased out of sight, all but appearing behind Vegeta and slamming his leg into Vegeta's back. The Saiyan Prince grunted as he hurled forwards, his eyes widening upon realizing that his opponent was now directly in front of him. Goku was all but firing out a ki blast with a grunt.

Vegeta harrumphed, quickly recovering and all but swatting away said attack with a gloved hand. "Is that all you got, Kakarot?!"

"Far from it," Goku replied easily, using his instant transmission to appear behind Vegeta. The kind-hearted Saiyan all but had his infamous Kamehameha wave settled in between his palms and, _"HA!"_

Vegeta released a curse as the blue wave of energy forced him down into the ground below them. Vegeta painfully slammed into the ground with an grunt and the ground itself sunk considerably; the angry Super Saiyan didn't know what hit him when Goku was all but dropping down atop his back with a knee-drop. As a result, the crater beneath Vegeta deepened even more as Vegeta all but jerked up from the force with wide eyes and a pained scream. Thinking quickly, the flame-haired Saiyan fired out a small ki blast towards the ground kicking up enough debris to make Goku relinquish his position ever-so-slightly. The Prince took full advantage of this and slammed his elbow into Goku's chest.

Goku released a pained grunt, stumbling backwards and Vegeta was quick to hop back onto his feet, whirling around and slamming his leg into Goku's chest.

The taller Saiyan hurled backwards, slamming into a cliff behind him and a wide-eyed Goku grimaced in pain.

Vegeta smirked, phasing in in front of Goku and pinning him against the cliff with several ki attacks molded in the form of cuffs - one around the neck, two on his wrists, and one around each ankle. Ruthlessly, the Saiyan prince slammed his fists, one punch after another, into Goku's midsection - each of which earned him a pained scream one after another. "Looks like you've let your guard down, Kakarot."

It seemed the shorter Saiyan had no problem taunting the other male, slamming one more punch in Goku's stomach for good measure.

An eye clenched shut in utter pain, Goku was able to smartly summon a ki blast in either of his hands and ultimately aimed both of them towards his arrogant opponent. Vegeta, had no choice but to let up on Goku, lest he get hit by the ki blasts; however, by pulling away, Vegeta did just what Goku wanted. With a grunt, Goku clenched his fists and summoned as much strength as he could to forcibly undo the restraints Vegeta had on him; then, just as Vegeta moved to charge him after recovering, Goku was quick to brutally headbutt Vegeta.

He regarded the Saiyan of which was hunched over and grasping his throbbing head in pain with narrowed teal eyes. "I wouldn't get so ahead of myself if I were you, Vegeta."

And uncaring as to what Vegeta had to say in response, Goku lunged for the Saiyan and put him on the receiving end of punches left and right. As the two Saiyans clashed, they phased in and out of sight to the point where even Babidi was having a hard time following the fight via his crystal ball. The two seemed to be on par with one another for neither one of them had the upper hand on the other for long. In addition, they were exchanging tic-for-tac as neither of the two Saiyans planned on losing. In Vegeta's case, his pride as a warrior was on the line, and as far as Goku's case, his duty as Earth's Savior as well as the lives of millions of people, were on the line.

Both Saiyans suddenly pulled back from one another mere minutes into their ferocious slug fest and circled around the other cautiously; they were watching the other like a predator would watch its prey and were all but scrutinizing for an opportunity to pounce and rip the other to shreds. Then, eyes narrowing in just the slightest of ways, they lunged for one another once more with a fist cocked back. Goku and Vegeta shared a hearty battle cry as they slammed their fists together and an immense shock-wave of which even the heavens itself trembled upon witnessing formed. Again, the two released a hearty cry as they slammed their other fist together and a similar shock-wave formed just like the previous one.

The Saiyans bared their teeth at one another, simultaneously headbutting the other.

And then they were phasing out of sight only to appear elsewhere, parrying rapid blows back and forth as they fought across the skies. In their wake, the two were leaving destructive craters and creating shock-waves that left their surroundings horribly unrecognizable. Then, sometime in the midst of their parry of attacks, Goku's eyes widened upon spotting an opportunity.

'There!' Goku declared mentally, kneeing Vegeta in the chin before following it up with a sharp roundhouse kick to the neck. Vegeta's eyes widened after the assault, blood spewing out past his lips; however, little did he know, Goku was far from finished with him. Mercilessly, Goku grasped Vegeta by the wrist before he hurled out of his reach and spun the disoriented male around a few times. Expertly, Goku released Vegeta and sent him hurling backwards, appearing behind the Saiyan courtesy of his Instant Transmission and slamming his interlaced hands into Vegeta's chest.

The Saiyan Prince slammed down into the ground back first and barely had time to push himself up to his feet as he narrowly evaded Goku's foot to the chest. Goku quickly fired a rapid barrage of ki blasts towards Vegeta's retreating form. Though Vegeta was quick to execute a few back flips before smartly ascending to the skies with a burst of ki and proceeding to combat Goku's continuous barrage of ki blasts with his own barrage of ki attacks.

An in order to fend off the rest of Goku's onslaught, Vegeta released a heart-felt battle cry with clenched fists, flaring his ki and sending them ricocheting elsewhere.

Vegeta suddenly spat out the blood in his mouth to the side, wiping away at the excess blood with the back of a gloved hand afterwards. "Tch." If Kakarot thought that this was all he had, then he was horribly mistaken and Vegeta would gladly show him that it wasn't so. Having said that, Vegeta rushed his spiky-haired opponent, hurling his fist forwards. Contrary to what he expected, Goku merely evaded it and hooked it under his arm instead, moving to swing his knee forwards. Even so, despite being temporarily immobilized, Vegeta was unfazed; he easily caught Goku's knee with his free hand and swung his knee forwards as well.

Goku rolled his weight backwards, flinging Vegeta downwards using momentum and followed it up with a crushing boot to the ribs. This action caused Vegeta to accelerate towards the ground even faster with a grimace; however, the Saiyan Prince was not one to be outdone and flared his ki in order to stop himself just before he could crash into the ground.

Then he was phasing out of sight.

In a blur, Vegeta was directly behind Goku, slamming his fist into Goku's stomach the moment the Saiyan whirled around to counter. In response, Goku released a choked cry, but that wasn't enough for Vegeta and the flame-haired warrior followed it up with a second one. This time, the force alone was enough to force Goku to double over. Vegeta smirked proudly, shamelessly wallowing in the fact that Goku was in pain.

Too bad it would never amount to what he knew as pain.

And just as Vegeta moved to deliver a final gut shot packed with hatred, Goku quickly got a hold of himself and blocked it with his knee, spinning around and moving to slam that same leg into Vegeta's side afterwards; however, Vegeta was quick to phase out of sight. The Prince reappeared behind Goku, slamming his third intended gut shot into Goku's spine instead. A wide-eyed Goku tossed his head back in utter pain aided with a scream, descending down towards the ground head-first. His features were contorted into that of pain, but he quickly managed to shift most of his weight onto a palm and propel himself out of harm's way with a push of the hand.

As Vegeta had relentlessly sent a ki blast spiraling towards him.

Perhaps this fight was going to take longer than he thought. Not to mention, that with every fiber in his being, he hated to leave such a heavy burden atop of Gohan's, Tarble's and the Supreme Kai's shoulders but he was more than certain they could do it. In addition, if his inkling was right, Raditz should be with them; with him there, they would have all of the help they could ever need.

Goku cocked a light smile despite the situation.

~0~

"Aunt 18! Uncle Raditz!" Gohan called out excitedly, running up towards the couple. "Boy am I really glad to see you two!"

And though Tarble was still in a world of his own and didn't pay them any mind, Shin was just as eager. "I second that. I'm really glad you two showed up when you did; we can really use the help right now."

18 cocked a blonde brow, taking in their surroundings coolly aside her husband. He seemed to be doing the same thing as her. "Is this a...ship?"

Shin nodded once. "Yes. More specifically, this is the evil wizard Babidi's ship." And at 18's and Raditz's look of shared confusion, Shin's eyes widened immediately in realization. Of course they would need to be filled in as they had stayed behind at the World Tournament. Otherwise, they wouldn't know what they were talking about, nor recognize the severity of the situation. Furthermore, they probably had questions of their own, so, without further ado, Shin quickly briefed the couple on everything that had taken place so far - from the moment they left the tournament, to what happened with Krillin and Piccolo, and so forth and so on.

Raditz's eyes narrowed after Shin finished. "So that explains why I stopped sensing Krillin's and Piccolo's ki."

"It explains a whole lot," 18 tacked on, diverting her icy eyes onto her husband, "Including why Vegeta killed those people at the tournament."

Raditz snorted. Even if the Supreme Kai did explain what happened to Vegeta, he wasn't buying it. There was just no way someone as prideful as Vegeta would allow himself to be manipulated without a reason. There had to be something he was gaining from this. "As if."

18 frowned lightly. "And you say this because?"

The long-haired Saiyan shot his wife a pointed look. "As long as I've known Vegeta, I can say, as a witness myself, that Vegeta is many things but that prick isn't weak. The Vegeta that killed those people back at the tournament did that of his own free will."

The Supreme Kai's eyes widened at the revelation as did Gohan, the two sharing a glance. There was a moment where both Gohan and Shin cast a concerned look in Tarble's direction, but both men were quick to divert their attention back onto Raditz after Tarble made no move to say anything in response's to Raditz's words. Shin exhaled soundlessly, regarding the bulky male seriously.

"Then I can assume that you speak from experience?"

"Pretty much. I was on a team with Vegeta and Nappa at a young age and we purged planets together; I've known him since Planet Vegeta."

"How unfortunate." Shin remarked. Nevertheless, Shin offered the couple a smile. "Anyway, Goku is dealing with Vegeta right now as we speak. Goku's doing his part and right now our part is locating Babidi and Dabura and doing all we can to prevent a catastrophe from happening. Or, if it comes to it, lessening the catastrophe as much as we can."

Gohan nodded. "Exactly. But to be honest, this is nothing short of a trap; it's like we're deliberately being led to where they are and no matter how you look at it, there's something off about that; it's just like earlier."

"Well," Shin began, picking back up with a run. Out of the corner of his eyes, he noted that the others quickly did the same. "At least we have more help now; I daresay this can progress much more smoothly from here on out."

"It would probably help to kill Dabura as soon as possible," 18 suggested, "then we could have Piccolo and Krillin's help as well. Maybe they could help us destroy that monster along with the ball it's in."

"I was thinking of that too," Raditz agreed, running along side his wife. "You said Dabura was Babidi's strongest henchman, right?"

"Yes," Shin replied, "Gohan had near succeeded in killing him but he took off before he could do so upon discovering Vegeta's dark nature. Even so," Shin picked up after a bout of silence, "we should still keep in mind that there's a chance we can set Majin Buu off prematurely with any sudden shock or movement. Though I've accepted that as possibility, I'd still like to avoid that outcome honestly."

18 was slightly confused. "But wouldn't that be better than Majin Buu emerging at full power? It'd probably be easier to destroy him and he'd be less of a threat."

"Not to mention that Kakarot and Vegeta are doing nothing but fueling Buu with more and more energy the longer they continue to fight. In other words, we're really risking Buu emerging any minute now, so I agree with, 18."

Shin adamantly shook his head, disagreeing with the couple. "I understand where you two are coming from, but Buu is incredibly strong. He has impeccable regenerative properties from what I've heard of rumors and he isn't the typical enemy you two may be used to dealing with. Must I remind you again of how many Kai's it took to actually stop Buu?"

At this, both 18 and Raditz fell silent as both of them quickly found themselves absorbed in thoughts of their own. While Raditz was of thinking of ways to handle the situation they were in, 18 couldn't help but think back to her nightmare. And despite the fact that they were going to attempt to stop this thing before it even emerged, that did little to curb her worry - not even the kids being safe with Bulma and the others and 17 being safe at home had any effect on her state of mind. Why was she feeling worse of all things? 18 worriedly took in Gohan out of the corner of her eyes.

Maybe Raditz was right.

Maybe she should have just stayed with the kids, after all.

The blonde-haired Cyborg's eyes widened when her mind all but flashed to the scenery of her nightmare. It was enough to make the blonde gasp so soft even Saiyan ears would have trouble picking up on the sound; however, Raditz picked up on it well.

"Lazuli," he whispered lowly, just audible enough for her to hear as they had an unspoken agreement to keep her real name used for familial purposes only. If they weren't around family, then she preferred to be addressed as "18". In private, "Lazuli" was fine and she didn't mind it much if it came from her loved ones. However, contrary to what he expected, she didn't answer.

She was too absorbed with her thoughts.

Raditz frowned at this, diverting his onyx eyes back in front of him; nevertheless he wasn't afraid to loosely loop his tail around her pale wrist in attempt to comfort her. He knew she was afraid; he could feel her fear pulsing strongly through their link, after all. And as much as he was just as afraid as his wife, he would never forgive himself if he allowed his fear to get in the way of protecting what he loved most. Now that he had a family of his own, a wife and two kids, he was all the more motivated to do whatever he could to keep them safe. If by some chance, he was unable to do so he would damn sure die trying to keep them out of harm's way.

He'd be damned if anyone threatened the safety of his loved ones and lived long enough to tell it.


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: Thanks for all the support!

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questions&comments:

coldblue2015: **Q1:)** That's a pretty good idea; one I haven't thought of to be honest. I have thought of expanding Raditz's capabilities though. You know, like something new to show the fruits of his training. If I was to use this idea, I'd definitely credit you. **Q2:)** Fusion will definitely play a role in this story; however, I'm expecting a few tweaks here and there on my end. **Q3:)** If I was to go in Super, Raditz training alongside Vegeta and Goku under Whis would be very likely to happen. **Q4:)** It's very much possible that Raditz will master SSJ3. That's to come a little further in the story, however. **S1 &2:)** I agree that the transport idea is a very good idea and I like it a lot actually; I also agree that fusion is very essential in the Buu Saga so it's definitely a must have/keep. **S3:)** Yes, Raditz is by no means perfect but he could definitely have what Goku and Vegeta are lacking. By all three of them working together (after Raditz and Vegeta work on their issues with one another), they could make up for this. **S4:)** Getting Raditz and Vegeta to train together before hand would definitely make things more easier in Super if I was to take that route; this a very good point.

Guest: I'm really glad you're loving the interactions between 18/Raditz. It's kinda hard at times, to be honest. Also, Raditz vs Hit and Raditz using Instant Transmission against Hit really would be interesting, indeed. I'm also a sucker for Vegeta/Bulma moments and 18/Raditz moments, so you make strong points.

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Happy New Year! I really appreciate the feedback; it does help I promise!

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Chapter 12: Majin Buu Released! The End Of Humanity?!

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18's icy blue eyes widened, taking in the pink ball of mass right before them - smack dab in the middle of the room they were all in. It was throbbing rhythmically, so much so that it reminded the blonde of a heart; it even mimicked the sound of one, too. And for some reason, that made the blonde tighten with dread as it was very much unsettling to say the least - both to look at and to hear.

She swallowed thickly, taking note of the Supreme Kai and Gohan moving closer to get a better look.

Unlike them, she didn't move any closer.

"What dreadful power." The Supreme Kai noted with a frown. "Just being near it is a trial in itself!" The smaller male was quick to divert his attention onto the four behind him; his voice was just as panicked as his eyes. "We must act quickly; I doubt Dabura and Babidi will leave Majin Buu unguarded for long."

However, unbeknownst to the Supreme Kai, they were already a step behind.

"Oh?" Babidi called out, revealing himself from behind the ball Majin Buu was within. Dabura did the same. The green, miniature wizard shared a few laughs at the expense of Shin. "What on earth would make you think that we would actually leave Majin Buu alone?"

Dabura, arms folded across his chest, hummed his agreement. Unsurprisingly, he was still sporting that traditional ear-to-ear smirk of his. His eyes then diverted onto Raditz and 18, his smirk widening ever-so-slightly as he took in the couple. "Looks like we have newcomers, Master."

"So it would seem." Babidi harrumphed arrogantly in response seconds later. The green alien didn't seem fazed by this news at all - not when Majin Buu was so close to being revived. "But that doesn't matter, Dabura, no matter how many join them...their fate will remain the same."

Raditz didn't hesitate to respond, narrowing his eyes at the wizard. "That makes no sense coming from someone like you; considering your ki is low as hell."

The wizard was blatantly flabbergasted, his eyes widening at Raditz's insult. He couldn't believe that someone would actually talk to him in such a way. _Him_ , of all people! His eyes suddenly narrowed. Of course, it was no secret that he was physically weak but to hear it in such a way made Babidi's features scrunch up hatefully. "Why, how dare you! Do you know who I am?!"

Dabura diverted his eyes down onto his upset master. He wasn't at all surprised at Babidi's burst of anger; he tended to be pretty quick to anger, after all. Though, as for himself, Dabura was slow to anger. In his opinion, there was no use in allowing your enemies to get to you as remaining calm and not budging in your composure seemed to be far more intimidating to others.

And as the Demon King himself, he knew this rather well.

Perhaps their temperamental differences played a part in how smoothly they were able to work together.

"Master," Dabura began finally, "let us fight in a more open space and I'll personally see to his death."

This statement seemed to succeed in calming Babidi down somewhat as his scowling features eased up in the slightest of ways, and his tiny fists unclenched. "Ah, yes, don't forget about the Supreme Kai as well. After all, he's the one responsible for my father's death." Then, Babidi was meaningfully diverting his eyes onto Dabura, narrowing them noticeably, "And even if your inkling did pay off with Vegeta, do make sure you follow through this time."

"Of course," Dabura reassured easily.

Naturally, Raditz was unfazed by the threat; however, the Supreme Kai seemed slightly rattled at this. The purple-skinned male swallowed nervously as he all but slid into his fighting stance. Instantaneously, their surroundings changed, courtesy of Babidi, and Shin quickly noted that they were now outside and back where they originally started - as a stone Piccolo and a stone Krillin were within clear sight. Shin clenched his fists, finding himself suddenly unable to remove from his spot and it seemed the same could be said for Gohan and a mute Tarble.

The three of them were all paralyzed with fear.

"...It's enormous." Gohan remarked wide-eyed; the half-Saiyan couldn't help but remain rigid where he stood. He has never felt something like this before. It was so dark, cold, and... _empty_. Earlier, the Supreme Kai noted that Majin Buu's power was 'dreadful'; however, Gohan had to disagree. The ki that was radiating from Majin Buu couldn't be described by such a word; it was absolutely _blood-curdling_.

Raditz, on the other hand, having caught sight of his wife's expression was spurred on all the more to act. He could tell by her expression alone that even she could feel this monster's despicable ki. His onyx eyes flickered back onto Dabura's eyes and was phasing out of sight in that same instant. While he didn't want to take credit for Gohan's handiwork, Dabura needed to be out of the picture and fast; time was of the essence and the faster they could get Piccolo and Krillin's help, maybe the smoother things would progress.

They couldn't afford for a creature like that to be released on Earth; he had a family and Bulma to think about.

Meanwhile, Dabura was all but wide-eyed, barely having time to regard a SSJ2 Raditz. The long-haired Saiyan had all but phased into sight behind him and, with a huge ki blast readied in a mere hand, Raditz carelessly killed the Demon King upon releasing it. Babidi, whom had been standing aside Dabura, released a terrified scream as he fell down onto his backside.

"D-Dabura!"

Shin all but gaped at the sight in a mixture of awe and surprise. And as much as he wanted to lecture Raditz about releasing energy so close to Buu, he smartly decided against it. Just like Raditz, just from feeling the sheer energy of Majin Buu alone as well as an undeniable inkling in the pit of his own stomach, he realized that time was quickly ticking.

Thus, there was no longer any time to proceed cautiously - caution was thrown into the wind the minute they were directly confronted with Buu. Even so, Shin's surprise never faltered once. "He...killed him like it was nothing!"

Gohan, having snapped out of his light stupor at the sound of Babidi's terrified scream, couldn't help but smile proudly despite the situation. "Of course, Uncle Raditz is just as strong as dad, after all!"

Shin blinked owlishly in surprise. "Raditz is just as strong as Goku?!"

Gohan gave a curt nod, smile still in place. "That's right. I was a little worried about dad having to fight Vegeta given the outstanding energy they're releasing as well as other things as far as the whole Buu situation, but with Uncle Raditz here and Aunt 18, I feel like we can do this. Not to mention, Piccolo and Krillin should be back to normal now, too!"

Shin was still rather surprised. "I see. It seems that your uncle is quite different from your father and Vegeta; he seems rather straight to the point." The Supreme Kai couldn't help but wonder if all of this - the grave situation they found themselves in - could have been completely avoided had Raditz came along from the beginning. However, so as to focus on the situation at hand and be of help anyway possible, Shin ceased his thoughts; he shook out of his lightly dazed state just in time to see Raditz forming a second ki blast in hand.

Though, unlike what he did with Dabura, Raditz didn't release it. Instead, the onyx-eyed Saiyan, having dropped out of his SSJ2 state, was regarding a petrified Babidi with narrowed eyes as he threateningly pointed it at the green alien. "Strengthen the seal on him or I'll kill you."

Initially, Babidi was much too frightened to speak. Not only was Dabura killed in an instant and no longer at his side, he was about to be killed by the very same man. Babidi gulped fearfully when Raditz's eyes narrowed all the more. "Well? What the hell are you waiting for?!"

Babidi quickly scrambled backwards with a strangled cry, some how managing to answer the bulky Saiyan in a panic. "T-There's no way I can do that! It's far too late!" By chance Babidi glanced at Majin's Buu intake of energy and his eyes all but bulged at this sight. "He's ready! Majin Buu is ready!"

And on cue, a mixture of what looked like compressed steam and air expelled out of the holes of the pink ball Majin Buu was in and Raditz's eyes widened drastically.

"Shit!"

~ 0 ~

Meanwhile Goku was quickly leaping backwards, narrowly avoiding Vegeta's would be stomp of the boot. Upon contact, a crater formed near instantaneously; however, Vegeta didn't stop there, quickly charging Goku and swinging a leg in his direction. Again, Goku avoided it; however, this time it was with a duck of the head. The spiky-haired Saiyan was quickly popping back up and moving to slam his fist into Vegeta's chest; though, the flame-haired Saiyan merely countered it with his own.

"Is dodging all you're good for, clown?" Vegeta taunted shamelessly, a heavy scowl on his features.

However, contrary to what Vegeta expected, Goku didn't respond this time. In fact, Goku's eyes were noticeably wide as he went completely rigid upon sensing a tremendous ki. Goku's teal eyes were all but directed into the direction he felt the ki coming from and he already knew who it belonged to. It was no one other than Majin Buu. His blonde brows furrowed in confusion as he could clearly feel Raditz's ki with the others. Were they too late? If that was the case, then he needed to aide them; he couldn't continue wasting time like this with Vegeta.

He needed to see what was going on.

Just as Goku diverted his attention back onto Vegeta to relay just that to him, he was mercilessly slugged with a mean left-hook to the face.

The spiky-haired male grunted in surprise more than anything, stumbling backwards a bit due to the sheer force behind the punch. Clutching his bleeding mouth, he shot Vegeta a questioning look. Didn't he feel Majin's Buu fearsome's ki? It was beyond the roof; it was the most terrifying ki he's ever felt, so if he could feel it, there was just no way that Vegeta _couldn't_ feel it. The taller Saiyan moved to open his mouth to speak after recovering but Vegeta beat him to it.

And Vegeta's teal eyes were dangerously narrowed to boot.

"Don't insult me." Vegeta warned with a hateful scowl. "Pay closer attention or the next time I'll be sure to knock a few teeth out."

Goku's eyes widened briefly, before narrowing just as quick. "Vegeta! Don't you understand what's happening? Majin Buu is released! We have to go help them! Let's postpone our fight and - "

Vegeta clenched his free gloved fist, quickly putting Goku on the receiving end of a barrage of punches. " - No!" Vegeta interrupted with furrowed brows, " - We are _not_ postponing this fight! I refuse! Let that stupid brother of yours handle it! I've waited for this fight long enough, and you want to put me on hold again?!" Vegeta snarled angrily, putting more vigor behind his punches before switching up all together minutes later; he was now firing out a few ki blasts towards his opponent.

He watched as Goku pulled back and cancelled out his ki blasts with ones of his own.

"I don't think so!" Vegeta finally continued. "I even went to such lengths to restore myself back to how I used to be and my efforts will not go unwarranted!"

Goku's eyes widened in realization, hoping it wasn't so. "Vegeta," he called out lowly, "What are you talking about?"

Vegeta snorted. "What else would I be talking about? I allowed Babidi to control me for the power as I've been fascinated with his power since Spopovich fought Videl. You saw if for yourself so you know full well what I mean. It was unbelievable and - "

Goku gritted his teeth, outraged. " - How could you be so selfish, Vegeta?! What about Bulma and Trunks? Don't you care about them at all? And what about Tarble? I haven't been around long but even I can tell he looks up to you and - "

" - Enough!" Vegeta interrupted. "I have no need for them! The only thing that matters to me is strength and it's because of them I've fallen off from my goals; as of today, I will no longer be hindered by foolish emotions!"

The two were now back to exchanging heated blow-for-blows again.

Nevertheless, Goku still responded. "How dare you write them off as something like that? They're _not_ to blame for your weakness, Vegeta! Raditz and I both have families of our own, so that alone should tell you that you can have a family and still be just as strong! In other words, your weakness is yourself and it always has been! Why is it so hard for you to see that?!"

~ 0 ~

"Oh, no!" Shin cried out in horror, dropping down to his knees in utter defeat. They were too late. At this rate, what would become of humanity? Both he and Kibito had gone through such lengths to prevent this very moment from happening, yet in the end they were still being confronted with the worse scenario of them all. The Supreme Kai was so absorbed in his thoughts and trying to figure out if there was something else that could be done, that he barely recognized two familiar fighters touching down beside them.

Krillin and Piccolo.

Fortunately, they seemed to quickly grasp the severity of the situation despite having been incapacitated throughout most of everything.

"Supreme Kai!" Krillin called out wide-eyed, "Gohan!" The smaller male was kneeling down aside the distressed Shin, concern mixed with fear evident on his features. The ki he was feeling from Majin Buu was surreal and Krillin couldn't help but inwardly curse. After all, he certainly hadn't been on the scene for long, but he was already sweating and shaking in his boots.

Piccolo, however, though his emotions weren't displayed on his features as clearly as it was on Krillin's and the Supreme Kai's, he was just as shaken up as the others. The Namekian was just naturally more composed than the others. Nonetheless, it was hard to imagine that a creature like this could actually exist.

His attention quickly diverted onto Raditz, "I'm guessing it really must have gotten serious for both you and your wife to be here, Raditz."

"Yeah," Raditz mumbled back, diverting his black eyes off of Babidi and onto Piccolo. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw Babidi quickly scramble away from him, but paid him no mind and allowed his ki blast to disappear into nothingness. The only thing preventing him from killing Babidi was the possibility that Buu could be resealed; nothing more and nothing less. Quickly, as he found it necessary to bring them up to date, Raditz briefed the two on everything.

"That sounds so typical of Vegeta," Krillin muttered afterwards in an offhanded manner. The shorter male opened his mouth to continue, but one look from Tarble stopped him from doing so. Krillin had nearly forgotten Tarble was here given how quiet he was being. Needless to say, the pale Krillin reluctantly quieted down. Certainly if he was in Tarble's shoes, he'd feel the same way. Hell, he couldn't even imagine how Bulma was feeling at the moment.

"So," Raditz called out to Piccolo a few moments after explaining everything. He was eyeing the quiet male expectantly, noting out of the corner of his eyes that Krillin had perked up and was presumably listening. "What do you think?" At this point, it was no secret that Piccolo was the most intelligent out the group, so if anyone had any ideas that could possibly turn things around or benefit them, it'd be him. Raditz was confident in that without a doubt.

Though, it seemed as if the Supreme Kai had other plans - finally catching his bearings. With a slow exhale and the aide of Krillin, he rose to his feet. "As much as I hate to say this," the Supreme Kai began before Piccolo could respond, "we must retreat. I'm afraid that there's nothing we can do as is."

Gohan looked absolutely appalled at such an idea, his head all but whirling in the Supreme Kai's direction."Retreat? But there's no way we can do that!" Gohan clenched his fists. "Not when there's so many lives to consider!"

The Supreme Kai didn't hesitate to respond back. "I understand how you feel Gohan, but I mean it when I say that there's nothing we can do; we must retreat and come up with a strategy first! Trust me on this! Besides, if we have enough time, then maybe - "

Gohan was sliding into an all too familiar stance, his eyes narrowed in determination. He had heard enough and it was clear they weren't exactly on the same page. Even so, the Saiyan stubbornly transformed into SSJ2 with ease with a simple battle cry, steadily concentrating an blue orb in the middle of his hands. " - Well, we don't know unless we try, now do we? Uncle Raditz, would you give me a hand here?"

The long-haired Saiyan phased out of sight and back in sight in a mere second; within an instant, he was at Gohan's side and following his nephew's lead. With a grunt Raditz jumped into SSJ2, "I guess it won't hurt to try."

The blonde Android was quick to run up aside her husband, charging up a yellow ki blast of her own. "I'll help too," She offered.

"Same here," Piccolo agreed, pointing two fingers to his head and proceeding to charge up his infamous Special Beam Canon.

The Supreme Kai watched as Krillin joined in as well. The former monk was sliding in beside Gohan and, like Gohan and Raditz, Krillin was also preparing to use the signature Kamehameha wave. Meanwhile, Babidi - of whom had been watching on in paralyzed fear - eyes all but widened as he realized what the others were about to do. Did they seriously plan on destroying Buu before he could even finish emerging completely? Before he could even start with his plan of world domination?! His fear quickly turned to desperation, snapping him out of his paralyzed stupor. "No! Stop it this instant! I won't let you!"

He stupidly shielded Majin's Buu pink shell with his tiny frame, extending his arms out protectively.

Not that the others minded, of course.

"Kaaaaaaaaaaa...meeeeeeeee...haaaaaaa...meeeeeee - " Gohan darted his eyes onto his Uncle and Krillin, briefly taking in their matching Kamehameha Wave's. Then, his eyes darted back onto Majin's Buu's disturbing pink container, " _HAAAAA!_ "

"Special Beam Canon!"

"Energy Mine!"

Tarble seemed to snap out of stupor somewhat, jogging up to the others. "I-I'll help as well!" Tarble quickly powered up to Super Saiyan and positioned his hands accordingly. "Galick Gun!"

His purple ki attack followed slightly after the others; nonetheless, all six warriors were hurling out their respective attacks simultaneously. While the Supreme Kai did suggest retreating and utilizing strategics, Gohan felt it was still necessary to try as - trying and failing was better than running and not trying in his book. He wouldn't be able to face his dad if he didn't at least give it all he got. And so, collectively, they desperately worked together to put an end to the threat before them.

Furthermore, none of the six warriors showed any signs of letting up in their attacks in the slightest; however, they eventually ceased their attacks.

Krillin was first to comment, distractedly wiping at his brows with the back of his hand. "...Do you think we got him?"

Tarble dropped out of his Super Sayian state with a slow exhale.

Out of the corner of his eyes, he noted that both Gohan and Raditz, unlike him, simply reverted to the Super Saiyan state. For the most part, Tarble felt as if he really hadn't helped with much; there was really no role in him tagging along, so aiding the others last minute was the least he could do. He had been so distracted - so immersed with his own thoughts - that he couldn't help but feel guilty in the end.

Involuntarily, Tarble's mind flashed back to his older brother as well as how he got possessed and later killed thousands of people at the World Tournament.

It was hard to believe that such a good day...could do a complete 360 and turn into hell itself.

"I don't think so," Gohan responded in evident disappointment. Unbeknownst to him, he had knocked Tarble out of his thoughts; however, either way, Gohan was far too concerned with the harsh reality they were having to face. He was feeling slightly overwhelmed. Wasn't there anything they could do? Was the Supreme Kai's idea really the best they could come up with? Gohan frowned heavily, cursing himself inwardly. After all, he couldn't help but blame himself and feel somewhat responsible.

"Gohan," Piccolo called out knowingly, "Don't be too hard on yourself. Even if I haven't been here for long, I'm sure you did all you could given the situation."

Piccolo's words seemed to lighten Gohan's spirits just enough so that he cracked a small smile. Gohan was then exhaling soundlessly in an attempt to relax his tense form; all in all, it seemed to work. The half-Saiyan then diverted his eyes onto his mentor appreciatively, "Thanks, Piccolo."

Piccolo gave a mere nod, "That aside, if we didn't destroy Buu. Just what happened?"

"Well," 18 began matter-of-factly with a hand on her hip, "the shell is broken so if I didn't know any better I'd say we got him." Her blonde brows were furrowing in just the slightest of ways. "After all, I can't feel anything."

And as if looking for confirmation, she turned to look at her husband.

Raditz's expression eased into that of confusion. What the hell? Something just wasn't making sense here. "I don't feel anything, either."

Then the long-haired male diverted his eyes onto Babidi, whom smartly jumped out of the way of their collaborative attack at the last second, and he seemed equally confused. Raditz scoffed, dubbing Babidi useless seeing as he was just as confused. Even so, if there was one thing Raditz was certain of at least, it was the fact that Buu's shell was split cleanly down the middle. While his wife was usually right about many things, she was wrong about the shell being broken. If they truly destroyed it or broke it, why was it _perfectly_ split down the middle? In other words, there was really only one option.

Raditz's blonde brows furrowed even more as his thoughts continued, even going as far as to tune out an conversing Shin and Piccolo as well as a distraught Babidi.

And then, a memory of what was assumed to be a mixture of compressed air and steam when Buu was declared to be ready by Babidi hit him full force; as a result, Raditz's teal eyes all but widened in realization. What if that mixture was actually Majin Buu itself? Or was it that the moment they attacked, the shell split open the moment Majin Buu was released? Raditz snapped his head up anxiously, releasing a string of curses at the sight.

Immediately, Shin's and Piccolo's conversation stopped as they, as well as everyone else, snapped their eyes onto the cursing Saiyan. However, the Saiyan seemed to be staring up at the skies themselves. Confused, they quickly followed his line of sight as Raditz didn't answer any of their concerned questions. He couldn't. Not when even his heart itself seemed just as heavy as his fear.

"He's alive!" The Supreme Kai remarked in terror. "That's definitely Majin Buu forming amongst those clouds!"

"No way!" Krillin remarked next. "What about our attack?! I figured that would have at least done something maybe!"

And while everyone else could do nothing but stare into the skies with a mixture of fear, dread and confusion as Majin Buu was forming into what appeared to be a pudgy pink being. Raditz's head had all but hung low, having fallen awfully quiet. The Supreme Kai had been right, after all. The bulky male closed his eyes as he internally mulled over a few things; the ki on the creature forming before their very eyes was unfathomable.

"Piccolo."

The Namekian perked up slightly, eyes flickering onto Raditz.

"I have a favor to ask of you." He stated simply and then, Raditz was powering up to SSJ2 again, as he continued before the Namekian could so much as agree to hear him out. "Get 18 of here for me."

18's eyes widened in shock, "What?" Then her icy blue eyes were narrowing an instant later, "There's no way I'm leaving you behind to deal with this thing."

Raditz deliberately ignored his wife, "Gohan, Krillin, Tarble, and - " his eyes diverted onto Shin - "Supreme Kai; get out of here. I'm going to stay here and hold him off."

Piccolo's eyes widened, as did the others; however, he was quick to recover. "Alright." He agreed, powering up so that he was encased in an ki aura.

"Wait," Gohan called out, shaking his head from side-to-side, "I agree with Aunt 18! There's no way we can do that." Then Gohan's eyes were narrowing. After all, he felt insulted that his uncle would even suggest something like that. "There's no way _I'm_ going to do that!"

Raditz narrowed his eyes. There wasn't time for this. Not to mention that his wife wasn't making this any easy. "Krillin, Tarble, you two go ahead and head to the look-out tower. Pass along the message for everyone to meet there regardless of what they're doing."

Both males looked hesitant as they didn't agree on leaving Raditz alone either, but Piccolo was quick to butt-in. "Go ahead, I'll be right behind you two in a few." And so, having spared a questioningly glance at the other, both Tarble and Krillin did as instructed - taking off and away from the scene at full power. While they were both rather curious as to why they were going to the look-out tower specifically, they didn't have time to linger around and ask given the situation.

" _Hey,_ " 18 bit out icily, having enough of being ignored. She latched onto her husband's wrist with narrowed eyes, "Didn't you hear what I said?"

Raditz noted out of the corner of his eyes that Majin Buu was prancing childishly about with an confused Babidi tailing close behind him. It wasn't until she hissed his name that his eyes all but diverted onto her finally. But his teal eyes were slightly softened as he regarded the woman he loved and 18 was thoroughly taken aback by the look. Immediately all traces of anger were gone and before she knew it, he was capturing her lips in a soft yet emotion-filled kiss.

She flushed slightly when he pulled back, somewhat embarrassed that he had done something they usually did in private so openly. "Raditz?"

"Sorry, 18."

And in a blur he all but maneuvered around so that he was behind her, harshly chopping her in the back of the neck. The blonde, unguarded Cyborg didn't stand a chance against the attack, her eyes all but rolling in the back of her head. Quickly, Piccolo swooped in and caught the unconscious blonde, powering up and preparing to take off like Raditz wanted him to. He'd leave Raditz to deal with Gohan himself - as even he couldn't stop Gohan when Gohan felt so strongly about something.

Gohan was just like Goku in that aspect, after all.

And Piccolo was sure that Raditz knew this as well. Meanwhile, the Namekian diverted his eyes onto the Supreme Kai, whom suddenly seemed to be reluctant to leave now. It was strange to Piccolo seeing as the Supreme Kai was the one that they suggested in the first place. Even so, it wasn't his place to question the Kai about it, so, after exchanging a few words to both Raditz and Gohan to be careful, Piccolo was off.

Along the way, his eyes still fixated on the rapidly shrinking forms of Raditz, Gohan, and the Supreme Kai, Piccolo couldn't help but hope that Vegeta and Goku came to their senses soon.

Or rather, that Goku managed to convince Vegeta to come to his senses in time.


	13. Chapter 13

A/N: Loving the continued support and feedback; thank you everyone! Sorry this chapter took soooo long! I seriously struggled with the motivation to get this out. I think I was trying to put waay too much into one chapter, so I'm going to split them up a bit.

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questions&comments

coldblue2015: Q1:) To be honest, I haven't given Super much thought. So I'm not sure how I'd write that particular scene with Frost. I tend to write in the moment so there's no telling how I'd have that go. Piccolo and the others would definitely be much stronger than they're given credit for; they tend to fall behind the Saiyans a lot, after all. Q2:) Also, as much as I'd love to have Gohan continue training after this, I think we all know that Chi-Chi was way too strict on Gohan in the series and he's more concerned with education. Plus, he was never a hardcore fighter. We saw this during mostly during Cell, so Gohan would probably hang back for a bit and we'd see more of his high school dilemma's. Q3:) Since Majin Buu is still around in Super, Majin Buu would be the new addition to the Z-fighters so that wouldn't change. Q4) As far as training sessions with the kids...that's very likely. After all, Majin Buu was quite the threat - especially his Kid Buu form. Q5:) Not too sure about this one. If so there'd be maybe a small scene.

GenjiMain456: Don't worry, Dende will be showing up in chapters later to come. I know he hasn't had much of an appearance so far.

Fan of 17: There's definitely going to be some similarities, but I don't want to spoil it lol. As far as Puar, I thought I included one or two scenes...I'll have to look into it.

Ame: So glad you're enjoying everything. I do worry that it's a bit fast-paced at times, so I'm trying not to include too much in one chapter.

Aria Heaven: Here's the next bit. :)

saitama1155: Not quite dead yet, sorry to worry!

I think I addressed everyone and everything. You guys are awesome and...I'm kinda half-asleep right now. Next update shouldn't take months, at least. :)

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* * *

Chapter 13: Atonement, Death, and Tears! Part I

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Goku's eyes widened in surprise. Once again, his teal eyes were distractedly flickering back in the direction he felt Majin Buu's ki and from what he could sense, Tarble, Krillin, and Piccolo had all taken off and it seemed as if Raditz, Gohan, and the Supreme Kai were the only ones remaining. But why? Did Raditz plan on taking Majin Buu on alone and advise the others to leave? If so, then how come the Supreme Kai and Gohan were still lingering around? It wasn't like Raditz to just advise Piccolo, Tarble, and Krillin, specifically, to leave and not advise Gohan and the Supreme Kai to do the same. Raditz wasn't like that at all.

Or was there another problem that came up that required them to split up?

Goku frowned.

Curiosity was really starting to gnaw at him. And at the end of the day, he could speculate all he wanted to on his end, but the only way he would know for certain was to go there himself. In other words, he needed to end this fight with Vegeta _immediately_ ; however the male was so stubborn that Vegeta wouldn't even allow him to postpone it. Goku's eyes flickered back onto said male, just in time to block a kick to the head with a forearm.

An irritated Vegeta narrowed his teal eyes, pulling back slightly and moving to deliver a solid roundhouse kick in one fluid motion. Unlike his intended kick to the head, this time Vegeta's attack actually connected. And at this, Vegeta smirked triumphantly, "Didn't I tell you to pay attention, Kakarot?"

Goku grunted in pain, stumbling backwards slightly, but was quick to recover and deliver several hard body shots with either of his fists. Vegeta doubled over near instantaneously from the final punch, barely having time to recover before Goku was phasing in above him and sending him hurling towards the ground with an energy blast to the back. Vegeta grunted painfully, but the spiky-haired Saiyan was far from finished, phasing in before Vegeta again and sending him hurling back upwards with a hard knee to the stomach.

Vegeta spluttered up blood, eyes all but bulging as he hurled upwards and Goku was quickly phasing in behind him a final time and putting him in the full-nelson. Vegeta snarled at this when he finally caught his bearings. How dare he attempt to restrain him like some sort of child? Didn't the idiot know who he was dealing with? Vegeta snarled, eyes narrowing spitefully. _"Kakarot!"_

"Vegeta!" Goku called back out with narrowed eyes. Even if Vegeta tried to deny it, Goku knew that Vegeta was keeping up with what was going on with Majin Buu just like he was. But with Vegeta being so proud and the shorter male continuously trying to lie to himself, as well as others in the process, how was he going to get Vegeta to come to his senses? This was beginning to seem hopeless. And so, Goku decided to try another method. Granted, what he had in mind was a little harsh, but Vegeta left him no choice.

"This is _our_ fault, Vegeta. We're the reason why Majin Buu is released, so we should at least help them defeat Buu. You may not care about your family, Vegeta, but I do and so does Raditz; we have people here that we love and I refuse to let this Buu ordeal get anymore out of hand than it already is. I'm sorry, Vegeta, but I'm beginning to think that Raditz really was right about you."

Vegeta's eyes widened at the mentioned of Raditz, his body near rigid for a reason he couldn't fathom.

"You're nothing but a coward, Vegeta."

~ 0 ~

"Pow, Pow, Pow!" Buu chanted childishly, hopping along aimlessly from one foot to the other. He was smiling cheerily with closed eyes and had his arms spread out excitedly as he remained absorbed in his own world. If one didn't know any better, they wouldn't dare think that such a creature, whom was even humming a tune only recognizable to him, was dangerous in the slightest. Perhaps one would even think that the cheery, pink creature was nothing more than a mere misplaced, overgrown child; however, those that were before it and those that could sense its ki knew otherwise as he contained an tremendous ki.

Of which Babidi was desperately trying to use to his advantage.

"Buu!" Babidi called after Buu impatiently, making a show of stomping his foot. He had enough. They didn't have time for this. Heck, a few of the Supreme Kai's friends had managed to escape as is, and he couldn't afford to let anymore get away. Especially not the Supreme Kai as Babidi _personally_ had something in store for him. Nonetheless, his action seemed to catch Buu's attention, the pudgy, pink creature halting mid-hop. Buu then craned his head, peeking at the small, green male curiously. "Buu?"

Babidi regarded the childish creature cautiously. It seemed as if Buu was forgetting something rather detrimental. "Buu?" Babidi called out slowly, "It seems you want to go back into the pink ball. Is that what you want, Buu? After all, that's what happens when you don't _listen_ to your master."

At first, this didn't seem to get the reaction out of Buu that he wanted, so Babidi all but threateningly raised his arms and "opened" his mouth to chant a spell to make his threat seem all the more believable. Needless to say, Buu did a complete 360. Immediately, the childish creature whirled around to face the smaller male, bowing in compliance, "You Buu master."

Babidi chuckled at the sudden turn of events. It seemed Buu wasn't as dumb as he appeared, after all. "That's more like it. Now," Babidi paused, diverting his eyes over to Raditz, Gohan, and the Supreme Kai. "Since we're getting down to business, I want you to kill them, Buu; they're in our way. And hurry up and do it before anymore of those annoying pests escape."

Meanwhile, Raditz was regarding his nephew in slight irritation. Why the hell was Gohan being so stubborn? He didn't want to have to worry about anyone getting hurt or injured, which was one of the main reasons he advised the others to leave. As smart as Gohan was, he should be able to understand this. "Kid, I'm not going to tell you again."

Despite Raditz's words, a mute Gohan stubbornly remained as is. It was more than apparent that he had no intentions of leaving like his uncle had instructed. On the other hand, the Supreme Kai's eyes were darting back and forth between the two Saiyans; they were in a stare-down of sorts and the Supreme Kai would be lying if he said he couldn't feel the tension between the two Saiyans. Naturally, like the others, he was going to retreat just as Raditz suggested; however, Gohan remained behind so of course he did the same. The Supreme Kai furrowed his white brows in just the slightest of ways. He saw great potential in Gohan and had been toying around with a few ideas here and there if push came to shove, and ultimately, he needed Gohan alive at all costs.

Thus, even if his entire being was riddled with fear, leaving Gohan behind was just simply not an option.

"Gohan," The Supreme Kai finally called out with a frown. Even though it was more than likely that he'd get the same results as Raditz, the Supreme Kai couldn't help but try to convince Gohan to do as his uncle said. "Don't you understand that Raditz is giving us the perfect opportunity to retreat? We must take advantage of this and - "

" - I'm not leaving." Gohan interrupted firmly, his eyes narrowing slightly at his uncle as if daring Raditz to state otherwise. "But," Gohan continued moments later, his eyes briefly flickering on to the Supreme Kai's wide black ones, "You can leave if you want."

The Supreme Kai looked slightly taken aback; however, it didn't take long for the Supreme Kai to catch his bearings as he all but opened his mouth to protest. Unfortunately, for him, it seemed that they no longer had the time to retreat anymore. This was bad.

Extremely bad.

"He's coming," Raditz stated gruffly, unknowingly snapping the Supreme Kai out of his thoughts. The burly Saiyan was quick to ready himself, his teal eyes narrowing as he did so. Briefly, his eyes flickered onto his nephew and the Supreme Kai behind him, "Do me a favor and stay out of this at least." And without further ado, Raditz was propelling towards Majin Buu with the push of a foot. As much as he wanted to go straight into SSJ3 and try and finish Majin Buu as quickly as possible, he needed to be mindful that he couldn't hold his SSJ3 state for no longer than thirty minutes; thus, he needed to go about this wisely as he really only had one chance.

SSJ3 was so draining and had such overwhelming power that he had yet to completely master the transformation over the span of the years. In addition, once he used up his thirty minutes in his SSJ3 state, it'd take quite a while to recover his stamina. So, all in all, his best bet was to take Majin Buu on in SSJ2 and pounce on any weakness he discovered in the meantime.

Only then will he transform into SSJ3 to hopefully finish things for good.

The long-haired Saiyan ceased his thoughts the moment he was within range of the fearsome Majin Buu, skillfully dodging a wild swing from his opponent whilst cocking his own fist back. And just as quick as he cocked his fist back, Raditz hurled it forwards with equal if not more speed. The burly male had all but slammed his fist into Majin's Buu bulging, pink belly. In response, Majin Buu released a light "oomph" as he took the direct hit and hurled backwards; however, Raditz didn't stop there. The SSJ2 Saiyan, lightning fiercely cackling around him, pursued the creature and phased in behind him. Ruthlessly, the Saiyan slammed his huge knee into Buu's back.

Again, Raditz's opponent released a "oomph", all but hurling forwards this time, but Raditz was quick to swivel around so that he was in front of Buu and executed a solid roundhouse kick.

Of which all but forced the pudgy creature to slam face first into the ground.

Then, an aerial Raditz was positioning himself accordingly and slamming the bottoms of his palms together as he charged up an immense amount of ki, "Kamehame - _HAA!_ "

The amount of ki he collected was tremendous, the Saiyan all but releasing the ki with a battle cry and watching as it collided into Buu's back. The pink creature childishly squealed out as the large-scale attack continuously forced him into the ground beneath him before ultimately piercing through his midsection.

From afar, Babidi's eyes widened with concern as he took in the both the drastic change of the landscaping beneath Buu, a massive crater left behind, as well as the fact that Buu seemed to be slow to bounce back. A little too slow for his liking as a matter-of-fact. "Buu!" He called out finally, unable to take the suspense for too much longer. There was just no way an attack such as that could do Buu in, right? Babidi swallowed nervously, throwing the Supreme Kai a sideways glance whom seemed to have no problems triumphantly rooting on Raditz.

The small alien harrumphed in irritation, but nonetheless diverted his attention back onto the fight before them all. Fortunately, Babidi was not disappointed and his concern seemed to be for naught as Majin Buu was all but flipping out of the crater and landing directly before his opponent as if nothing happened.

At this, Raditz's eyes widened as he couldn't help but notice that the gaping hole in his opponent's chest and stomach was rapidly restoring back to its original state by the second. What the hell was this thing? He had the same regenerative abilities as Cell. Upon noticing this, Raditz couldn't help but think back to when his brother had destroyed Cell's top half with his Instant Kamehameha Wave back at the Cell Games. And if Buu was showing some similarities with Cell, then...

The Saiyan's eyes widened as he quickly concluded that he'd have to destroy Majin Buu _entirely_ so as to prevent him from regenerating.

But even if the pink creature before him seemed utterly stupid, Raditz was aware that it was much more to the creature before him than Buu was letting on. There was no way he'd get another opportunity, was there? Raditz 'tsked', not ready to call it quits just yet. It was too early in the fight to be doubting himself. He had a family to protect, after all, and he couldn't afford to hesitate or get distracted by his thoughts. The long-haired Saiyan phased in behind Buu and harshly kneed the pink being in his back, touching down on a mere foot only to whirl around and follow up his previous attack with a hard kick to the spine.

Yet again, Buu squealed out childishly, hurling forwards due to the sheer force Raditz had put behind his attack. Then, his teal eyes all but narrowing, Raditz put two fingers to his forehead and seemingly vanished from where he stood. Easily, having used Instant Transmission, Raditz was a little ways before Majin Buu - charging up ki yet again as he awaited his oncoming opponent.

From down below, Babidi narrowed his beady eyes, clenching his fists. That buffoon! Even from here he could tell that Buu wasn't taking that Saiyan seriously. Had his earlier threat fallen on deaf ears that quick?! "Buu, stop playing around this instant!" Had he not been so angry, perhaps Babidi would have been completely ashamed that he stamped his foot for what felt like the millionth time that day. Was this the price of world domination? Wanting to rip out what little hair of his remained?

If so, then Babidi was still trying to figure out whether it was big price to pay or a small one.

Babidi scoffed, throwing the thought aside for now. " _BUU!_ " He hollered once more.

This seemed to do the trick, Majin Buu craning his head to regard the tiny, green male. Easily, he skidded to a halt just before he was directly before Raditz, of whom's eyes widened drastically, and then slammed his fist into Raditz's stomach. Instantaneously, Raditz spluttered up blood, his teal eyes widening even more. The stunned Saiyan could hear Gohan and the Supreme Kai call for him, but he barely had time to respond as Buu was sending him hurling towards the ground with a drop of the elbow to his hunched over form.

Again, Raditz spluttered up blood, harshly slamming into the ground as he all but painfully realized that Majin Buu hadn't been taken him seriously at all during their fight. Hell, could it even be called a fight? Raditz's thoughts ceased the moment he felt something unusually soft wrap around his form and jerk him back up. Raditz blinked in confusion as he found himself being yanked upwards by Buu. The hell? And if that wasn't bad enough, Raditz realized that he couldn't move at all.

It was almost as if he was bound together by something.

All the more, it was painfully clear that the more he struggled, the more it seemed to tighten around his burly frame.

The burly Saiyan mentally cursed, noting that Buu was intending to slam him down into the ground - and from such heights at that. Raditz eyes flickered off of the ground and back onto his pink opponent. Just what the hell was he made out of? Since when could Majin Bull pull parts of himself off of his own body and use that to his liking as well? Was this some sort of a sick joke? Unfortunately, Buu wasn't going to give Raditz any sort of time to do any more processing, as Buu all but slammed Raditz down into the ground.

Raditz released a pained grunt upon collision near seconds later, the ground all but rumbling as if protesting.

And if that wasn't bad enough, the pudgy being decided to follow it up with a ki blast of his own.

Of which resulted in a even more massive crater forming beneath the bound Saiyan.

"Buu wins! Buu wins!" Buu chanted happily, clapping his hands together like that of a child. After all, no one was more impressed with the size of the crater he caused than he was. The pink creature was completely proud of his handiwork and it showed.

"That's it! That's the spirit, Buu!" Babidi boosted excitedly, fist-pumping. "Do continue to show him his place just like that!"

Though, Gohan nor the Supreme Kai felt the same - neither of the two males shared in the excitement displayed by Majin Buu and Babidi. If anything, the expression on their faces spoke volumes. "Uncle Raditz!" Gohan called out finally, eyes utterly wide. The teenage-Saiyan was the first to recover despite being at a loss. If his uncle was just as strong as his dad, and he was having trouble...then, what did that say for them? Gohan swallowed the lump that formed at the back of his throat with much difficulty.

"There's...really no hope at all." The Supreme Kai muttered wide-eyed and despite his status as a Kai, even he couldn't help but tremble. It was just as he expected after all. He had been a fool to think otherwise. Granted, he was fully aware of the strength the Saiyans contained; however, he allowed himself to get side-tracked and blinded by hope.

Even if was only for a moment.

How could he have forgotten how Buu made light work of the Kai's many years back?

If the situation wasn't what it was at the moment, the Supreme Kai would completely be wallowing in shame right about now. If only he had done things a little differently, maybe things wouldn't be what it was now. Or would he have still failed either way? After all, none of what was transpiring had been in his original plan.

Especially not Kibito's death.

Was he...a failure as the Supreme Kai?

"Hold on, I'm coming!"

Shin jolted out of his thoughts with a light startle, watching as Gohan charged in to help Raditz. If anything, the Saiyan seemed to be struggling a lot more since Buu cut off his mobility by entangling him in the pink, thick, rope-like matter. Instinctively, Shin reached out and latched onto Gohan's wrist, "Wait, Gohan! Raditz told us not to interfere earlier! Don't you remember?"

Gohan jerked his wrist out of Shin's clutches. "I know what my uncle told me, but there's no way I'm going to idly watch as he struggles against that thing! I've always been the type to help someone in need and that definitely won't change now."

"But Gohan," The Supreme Kai tried to protest, "Raditz specifically - "

Though whatever words the Supreme Kai was trying to get out fell completely deaf on Gohan's ears.


	14. Chapter 14

As always, I appreciate the support and feedback; it means quite a lot. :) I also appreciate all of the welcome backs! If you had any questions, I PM'd you.

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Chapter 14: Atonement, Death, and Tears! Part II

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They were acting strange.

Really strange.

Marise's icy blue eyes diverted off of Bulma and Chi-Chi, and onto Taro and the others as if to look to them for confirmation. She knew for sure that Trunks noticed it as well, or rather, all of them did. If anything, it just seemed as if her and Trunks were the only ones that were focused on it. Just what happened back there? Did things really become that bad while they were gone? And what about how the tournament stands were _loitered_ with gaping holes? Who attacked them and why? And what was so serious that her father _and_ mother had to leave the tournament?

The blonde three-year old found that once again her knack for being observant was taking a hold of her little mind and unfortunately, there was no one she could talk to about this.

At least not at the moment.

Usually, when Trunks wasn't in his head about other matters or busy with Goten, she could sometimes discuss things like this with him; however, Trunks was more concerned with his blue-haired mother.

And rightfully so as his mother seemed to be experiencing quite the inner turmoil; however, at this rate, she probably wouldn't get any answers anytime soon.

Marise's icy blue eyes diverted back behind her, taking in Susan Marie, Ranfan, Master Roshi, and Oolong and they all had the same solemn expression etched onto their faces. The only thing that Marise _did_ have an answer for was why Yamcha was piloting the aircraft instead of Bulma, and the reason for that seemed to have to do with Bulma being out of it.

That being said, it was more than clear that their current and ongoing mission of finding all of the dragon balls was going to continue being a silent one.

~ 0 ~

"Piccolo, Krillin, and Tarble!" Dende exclaimed eagerly, leaving Mr. Popo behind in order to run up towards the trio.

"Hey!" Krillin greeted with a grin, "Dende, how have you been?"

Dende cracked a smile that didn't reach his face. "I guess as good as I can be given the situation."

"Yeah," Krillin agreed. "Things are really getting out of control. Who could have imagined that such a promising day would turn into _this_?"

Dende hummed his agreement, his black eyes somewhat crestfallen as he noted Tarble's solemn expression. Above all, he couldn't even imagine what Tarble and Bulma were feeling. If Tarble looked this destroyed and lost, Dende could only imagine that Bulma both looked and felt the same. Truthfully, Dende has never been fond of Vegeta, but that didn't mean he didn't feel for Vegeta's loved ones and what they were going through.

"Dende." Piccolo finally addressed, snagging the shorter Namekian out of his thoughts.

Near instantaneously, Dende's eyes distractedly flickered onto Piccolo's, his expression that of curiosity. "Yes, Piccolo?"

The taller Namekian gestured down to the unconscious blonde in his arms, "I'll let you take over from here."

Dende blinked owlishly, taking the blonde from Piccolo's arms. Oddly enough, he hadn't even noticed her. Today's events must have caused him to be out of it - at least more than he originally thought.

"Right," The younger Namekian finally voiced after silencing his thoughts, his eyes flickered onto Mr. Popo and that was seemingly all that was needed - as the male was scurrying off to get a room ready without so much as a word. Politely, Dende diverted his attention back onto his guests, "I'll be back in just a moment. Excuse me."

"Heyy," Krillin drawled out with cocked brows. "No need to be so formal. We go way back, remember? Besides, we understand."

Dende offered the former monk a warm smile, but said nothing in response. Instead, he followed after Mr. Popo and left the three males behind. For a moment, nothing but silence enveloped the males, but that certainly didn't last for long.

"Man," Krillin began after a pregnant pause, "I'd sure hate to be Raditz. I can only imagine how pissed Android 18 is going to be when she finally wakes up. You don't think she's going to take that out on us, do you?"

Piccolo sent Krillin a weird look, one the shorter male had trouble deciphering. Granted, Android 18 would be upset, but Krillin seemed to be missing the big picture here.

One of which Piccolo didn't mind enlightening Krillin on at all.

"Perhaps," The green warrior proceeded to explain, "but Raditz did do the right thing given the situation. If you think otherwise, then clearly you haven't thought of what you have done if that been Maron instead of 18 and if you were in Raditz's shoes."

"He's right," Tarble agreed. "When it comes to your loved ones, you'll do everything you can for them - including protect them."

Then Tarble's gaze saddened somewhat as he seemed to ponder something and then the sibling of Vegeta was opening his mouth once more.

"Well, naturally that is."

~ 0 ~

"What are you doing?" Raditz hissed in annoyance.

Gohan ignored the older Saiyan, maneuvering in and out of Buu's ki blasts to the best of his abilities. Against his uncle's wishes, Gohan took it upon himself to interfere and had all but tried to unravel his uncle from the rope-like pink matter; however, it seemed as if Buu wasn't going to allow that to happen. Granted he hadn't expected Buu to simply watch around as he tried to free the huge Saiyan, but it had definitely been worth a shot at least.

Needless to say, they were now airborne and Gohan was trying to get enough distance between them in order to free Raditz.

And as if Gohan didn't hear him the first time, Raditz repeated himself and this time his voice was a lot sterner. "I thought I told you to stay out of this."

"You did, but - "

" - Pow, Pow, _POW_!"

Before the teenaged Saiyan could finish his sentence Buu appeared directly before the airborne duo, slamming the bottom of his palms together and charging up a pink ki blast. Whilst Gohan's eyes widened in realization and his body seemed to freeze in surprise, a curse had escaped Raditz's lips. Their opponent was by no means an amateur when it came to battling. After all, Majin Buu was using his own barrage of ki blasts to his advantage all the while having cutting them off from the front. In other words, they had a barrage of ki blasts coming at them from the back and they had a direct attack coming from the front.

An attack from both sides.

"Gohan! Raditz!" The Supreme Kai called out worriedly, the purple-skinned male was all but charging up a ki blast of his own and projecting Buu's ki's blast upwards at the last minute. Such a thing took great precision and though he was ashamed that one little ki blast took so much out of him, it has still been a while since he has engaged in any sort of combat.

And although, the Supreme Kai had good intentions, it seemed as if his interference was going to cost him.

"Darn it, Buu! What are you waiting for?! Get rid of that stupid Kai already!"

Forget a slow and torturous death, the Kai was butting in far too much for his liking. It was almost as if the Supreme Kai was testing his patience and practically asking - no, _begging_ \- to be killed. And since he wanted to die so badly, then so be it!

Meanwhile, Buu's normally closed eyes opened up just a bit, just enough to take in his small, green master shouting at him from below. At first it seemed as if Buu was still processing what he was ordered, but any doubts of what Buu was going to do quickly cleared as the pink, pudgy being formed a ki blast in his right hand and slung it towards the Kai at blinding speeds.

"Shit!" Raditz cursed loudly, and unbeknownst to him, the burly male had startled the young Saiyan out of his slight, frozen stupor.

Gohan's eyes widened, "Oh no! The Supreme Kai!"

Thinking quickly, Gohan shifted one of his hands from around the pink matter tightly wrapped around Raditz's form and moved to form a ki blast of his own. There was just no telling how much damage the Supreme Kai would take from that attack, and as much as Gohan hated to admit, the chances that the Supreme Kai would even survive an attack like that were pretty low.

Unfortunately, it looked like Buu was already several steps ahead of Gohan and for a moment it was almost as if they were battling a completely different being.

And as if Buu knew what Gohan was thinking somehow, Buu sent him a bone-chilling grin as if confirming Gohan's thoughts. Relentlessly, the usual cheery being was phasing in the middle of the route of Gohan's ki blast and easily swatting it away with an mere hand. "Buu no let you! Buu no let you interfere!"

In the distance, a huge explosion sounded off from Gohan's attack missing its target and colliding with the grounds below them instead. From down below Babidi could be heard screaming as the male was all but leaping backwards in a panic, " _Buu_! Watch were you send that thing!"

Buu seemed to ignore his tiny master and instead took it upon himself to appear directly behind Gohan, sending both Gohan and Raditz hurling downwards with a quick roundhouse kick. Gohan grunted from the sheer force of the attack, as he did take most of the impact. Even so, the male still tried to hold onto his uncle; however, Buu had followed it up with a huge ki blast to the back and Gohan couldn't help but release his bound uncle this time. And again, for what felt like the millionth time that day, Raditz cursed as he all but slammed into the ground - a huge crater had all but formed beneath him.

It was so hard to maneuver with the pink matter Buu had wrapped around him that it didn't make it any better that it was so thick and seemed to constrict the more he moved. In addition, for someone of Buu's size, Buu was surprisingly fast. Damn. This was bad. This was really bad. He couldn't feel the Supreme Kai's ki at all and Gohan had taken quite the damage.

Things weren't going as planned at all.

"Buu done with you now. You die now."

Raditz's eyes widened at Buu words to Gohan, snapping out of his daze and all but jolting up. It was a hard task to do, but he managed. Perhaps it was the adrenaline now coursing throughout his being. Either way, the sight his eyes landed on was one that brought memories back from Planet Namek. Of where Frieza killed Gohan. Was he seriously going to allow his own nephew to die before his eyes again? Had nothing changed?

The huge Saiyan gritted his teeth, "Touch him and I'll swear you won't make it past me alive, Buu!"

The irate Saiyan was all but propelling towards the pink creature with a push of the feet, his teal eyes near reflecting his anger. For whatever reason it seemed as if time had slowed down and all he could see was Gohan weakly standing up out of the massive crater he was in and Buu charging up a ki blast and placing it directly on Gohan's chest.

Gohan released a pained scream, all but hurling backwards and eventually out of sight.

Then, cruelly, as if life was playing some sort of joke on him, time seemed to reset and go back to normal, while Raditz had arrived in the spot Gohan had been a mere second late. Raditz clenched his fists, his mouth near agape as he stared into the direction Gohan had been sent flying in. Was this a fucking joke? He spent _years_ training, had a family of his own now, and couldn't even protect two people? How the hell was he supposed to protect everyone else? All the more, he let his fucking guard down.

That was what got them into this mess in the first place. He had to get this shit off of him _immediately_.

"Hey, you!" Buu childishly addressed, "You next. Buu kill you too!"

Raditz's teal eyes sharpened if possible, craning his head in order to regard the detestable form behind him. " _Huh_? I'd certainly like to see you try. You just made a big mistake."

If anything, Raditz clenched his fists even more, summoning a burst of yellow aura with a quick, yet near silent exhale. The ground beneath his huge feet gave way under the sheer intensity of his aura and energy he was releasing. And as if to prove further testament to the energy he was releasing, debris and strong winds were becoming increasingly more apparent as the burly male continued to powered up. Eyes rolling back, Raditz's mouth fell open as the male all but hunched over and released a loud and hearty battle cry.

Again, the ground cave beneath him, the debris and strong winds seemingly responding to this and all but doubling - no tripling - in intensity.

His already blonde hair flashed an even brighter blonde if possible, and Babidi wasn't sure if he was seeing things or if Raditz's unusually long hair was... _growing_? Babidi felt unease at the mere sight alone. These Saiyans were just as annoying as they were strong. But surely... _surely_ Buu could still take Raditz. Buu has destroyed universes.

Countless of them.

There was just no way a mere Saiyan, or whatever he was, could hold a candle to his father's creation.

No way at all.

Babidi's eyes flickered off of the still hollering Saiyan and onto Buu, whom seemed to have been pushed back somewhat from Raditz's ongoing power-up. If anything, Buu was using an arm to shield his face from the onslaught of winds and debris forming from the very ground itself falling apart, his purple cape harshly flapping backwards. Buu released a sound of awe despite the situation, whilst Raditz continued to power up before the eyes of Babidi and Majin Buu.

He was almost finished, and once he was finished, both Babidi and Majin Buu were done.

And Raditz wholly intended on making them pay with their lives.

~ 0 ~

"What...unbelievable power!" Piccolo remarked with wide eyes.

So, this was it, huh? This was what Raditz had to show from his harsh and tedious years of training? This was the SSJ3 form Raditz had mentioned, but never really showed anyone? Well, excluding himself and the Son household, of course.

Either way, despite having seen it during training, it felt somewhat more intense.

Piccolo wondered if that was because of the severity of the situation they found themselves in.

After all, this wasn't Raditz prepping to go into training, this was Raditz prepping for battle - do or die. Further, Bulma's technology really was amazing to be able to keep power as intense and as strong as this from being sensed. After all, if Piccolo wasn't mistaken, Raditz mostly trained with this form inside the Gravity Machine and such thing spoke volumes about Bulma's scientific capabilities. Even if he and Bulma hardly talked, even Piccolo had to admit that the woman was truly a genius. The Dragon Radar, the Future Time Capsule, and even _this_? All the more, if Raditz's theory was right about Goku having achieved this same power in the Other World, then perhaps all hope wasn't lost.

Together, Goku and Raditz could possibly end things here before they had the chance to continue.

That is, if Goku could pull away from Vegeta that is.

Unfortunately, it seemed as if this transformation on Raditz's end had the opposite effect on Vegeta. Or rather, it didn't have the effect on Vegeta that Piccolo would have expected. This was _Vegeta_ they were talking about here, after all. All in all, was there no way for Vegeta to come to his senses?

Even after having a family, Vegeta was still the same self-absorbed Saiyan?

Was he that selfish that the transformation of Raditz would just add more fuel to the fire and his burning anger?

Or more specifically, was Vegeta aware that Goku could transform and still had yet to (and nor could Vegeta force Goku to transform) _and_ the fact that Raditz was transforming so close to him adding more fuel to things?

After all, even if Vegeta didn't openly voice his suspicions like Raditz did, Vegeta was far from dumb and most likely sensed something from Raditz's training over the years no doubt. In addition, it wasn't as if he and Vegeta interacted much for Vegeta to care enough to rely his thoughts to him (or to anyone) in the first place, so he couldn't confirm it with him. Further, if Piccolo had to be honest here, chances were if Raditz could do it...Goku could probably do it too.

Goku was arguably the strongest.

But still, whatever it was, didn't Vegeta feel what was going on with Gohan and the Supreme Kai? Personally, he couldn't feel either of their ki's and the Namekian would hate to think the worse. Their ki's could be incredibly weak right now and smothered under the presence of Majin Buu's and Raditz's ki. And there was also Vegeta's and Goku's ki. There was too much going on in that particular area and if he were to go down there now, not knowing exactly where either of the two are located then that could do more harm than good.

In more ways than one.

"Piccolo." Dende called out calmly.

The smaller Namekian was standing aside Piccolo looking down from the Lookout as well whilst Krillin remained silent. The former monk's mouth was agape and the small Z-fighter looked completely paralyzed. Tarble was still definitely on the Lookout, but no where in sight. As mentioned earlier, given the situation, Dende couldn't blame him. Distractedly, pushing his thoughts aside as much as he could for the time-being, Dende diverted his black eyes onto the much taller Namekian. "I'm worried about Gohan and the others."

"I know what you mean." Piccolo responded gruffly. "We're probably thinking along the same lines."

"Speaking of _thinking_ ," a cool voice interrupted, "I'm thinking that someone should explain to me just exactly what's going on."

The irritation was more than clear in Android 18's voice and Piccolo, like Dende, had assumed that the tremendous release of ki had reared her out of her unconscious slumber. Further, neither of the two males knew whether Android 18 waking up was a good thing or a bad thing just yet. Nevertheless, seeing as both Dende and Krillin had fallen quiet, it seemed that the task of explaining what was happening was up to him.

Great.

Piccolo turned to face the blonde, his features calm. "After Raditz knocked you out, Gohan and the Supreme Kai stayed behind. As you already know, Raditz wanted all of us to leave, but Gohan refused and the Supreme Kai stayed behind as well. In a nutshell, Raditz ended up getting entangled in one of Buu's attacks and both the Supreme Kai and Gohan tried to interfere but - "

Android 18 narrowed her eyes, " - But, _what_?"

Piccolo continued as if he hadn't been interrupted. "But those two are either critically injured, given that there's no way to feel out their ki's under the immense amount of ki being released in that area, or dead."

Android 18's icy blue eyes widened, her heart dropping. There was a possibility that Gohan, her oldest nephew, was... _dead_? Furthermore, there wasn't anyway to know just yet for sure? How was she supposed to face Chi-Chi? The blonde cyborg's brows furrowed noticeably, releasing the breath she hadn't even been aware that she was holding in. Then her eyes snapped back onto Piccolo's eyes, "So you're telling me that Raditz is still down there fighting that thing? Shouldn't that thing be dead by now, with Vegeta, Goku and Raditz taking it on? Something isn't adding up here."

"Unfortunately, Vegeta is still insisting on fighting Goku - even more so now that Raditz has transformed into SSJ3 and I have reason to believe that Vegeta suspects that Goku knows how to as well and is either trying to get Goku to ascend or is still trying to prove something on behalf of his Saiyan pride. Either way, Goku has tried to pull away multiple times, but Vegeta is being Vegeta."

" _What_? Raditz is fighting that thing alone?"

The blonde 'tsked' loudly in annoyance, maneuvering past the males and moving to go assist her husband. However, Piccolo was quick to grasp her wrist - which may have been a bad move on his part - but Raditz entrusted him with looking after her.

"And just what do you think you're doing?" 18 bit out with irritation, all but snatching her wrist out of Piccolo's grip.

The Namekian pointedly ignored 18's question, "Do you seriously plan on going down there? You'd do nothing but get in the way. I'm sure you know this just as much as I do."

18's eyes narrowed, "And standing here looking down on the whole thing happening is any better?"

Both Piccolo and Android 18 seemed to be in an intense stare-down of sorts.

"Hey," Krillin interjected nervously, trekking in between the two. "Uh...18?"

Her icy blue eyes diverted onto the shorter male, as if daring him to state something she didn't agree with.

"Piccolo's right. We're no match for Majin Buu." Krillin stated dejectedly. "I mean for Kami's sake, we're literally playing the situation by ear."

"And your point?" 18 inquired matter-of-factly.

Krillin rubbed the back of his hand nervously, black brows slightly furrowed. "I guess what I'm trying to say here is that my advice would be - "

" - Advice? I don't need your advice, and further, I don't advise anyone try to stop me again."

~ 0 ~

"Buu impressed! Buu having lots of fun now!"

A SSJ3 Raditz scoffed, but said nothing in response. Instead the male sent his pink opponent hurling backwards with a kick to the chest, phasing in behind the creature and sending him hurling down towards the ground with a hard kick to the back.

Buu released a "oomph!" and the Saiyan warrior was relentlessly putting Buu under a barrage of ki blasts.

The last thing Raditz saw was Buu shielding himself with either of his arms before a huge cloud of debris kicked up; however, Raditz wasn't fooled. There was no way that a few ki blasts was enough to do in Majin Buu. As he noted earlier, Buu's regenerative capabilities seemed to be on a whole different level compared to Cell and at least with Cell, it was pretty apparent when Cell took damage. With Majin Buu, it was hard to tell. For the most part, no matter what he threw at Majin Buu, he always recovered and brushed off everything Raditz threw his way.

As much as he hated to admit it, Buu wasn't even taking him seriously.

Raditz tsked. The original plan had been to figure out any weaknesses Majin Buu may have had while in SSJ2 and then finish him off in SSJ3; however, that plan quickly hit the fan. It literally felt as if the longer this fight progressed, the more pointless it seemed. It was now five minutes into his SSJ3 transformation and he wasn't getting anywhere. Was there anything he could do in twenty-five minutes?

"Buu still here!" An all-too-familiar childish voice rang out, phasing in directly before Raditz and out of the massive cloud of debris he had been smothered in. Without so much as a warning, Buu hurled his yellow gloved fist forwards with a childish grunt.

Raditz hefted up a mere knee, halting Buu's punch and then quickly latched onto Buu's wrist before he could so much as pull back. With his free hand, Raditz released a short battle cry as he charged up a pink ki blast. Then, hovering the ki blast over Buu's face, Raditz mercilessly released it, "Saturday _Crush_!"

Majin Buu's head jerked backwards from the direct hit and Raditz was quick to put Buu on the receiving end of a barrage of fast, hard punches.

" _Buu!_ " Babidi chastised as he shook his tiny fists in utter displeasure, "What are you letting him do to you?! Can't you stop playing around for once in your life?"

Neither of the two males paid Babidi any attention.

Rather, Buu forcibly broke Raditz's momentum by exhaling sharply before inhaling so as to bloat up his stomach as much as possible. Then, having caught a fist of Raditz's within his stomach, Buu commanded the antenna attached atop of his head to charge up with purple ki in just slightest of ways. The burly Saiyan's eyes widened in realization, quickly commanding his tail to maneuver around and smack Buu's chin upwards.

Buu released a childish cry as his would-be-attack was redirected upwards.

Meanwhile Raditz quickly followed up his attack with a harsh elbow to the opponent's gut, forcing Buu backwards. Then, before his over-sized opponent was out of range, the huge Saiyan was grasping Buu's pink antenna and slamming his face into his knee.

Again, Buu released a childish cry; however, Raditz remained unfazed.

After all, Raditz knew better than to think that he had actually managed to hurt the monstrous being before him. Furthermore, five more minutes passed into his transformation and he was only left with twenty more minutes. In other words, he still wasn't getting anywhere. Then again, there was _something_ he could do. And it would be quite risky considering that it would burn through his remaining SSJ3 time.

However, there was a chance it could work if he played his cards right.

And without further ado, Raditz suddenly clasped and slammed either of his hands atop of Buu's head, sending him spiraling down towards the ground. For a moment, Raditz's teal eyes trailed after the male, before flickering down onto the ground. If he could manage to force Buu into the Earth's Core, then Majin Buu would be completely obliterated. No matter how monstrous Buu was, even his regenerative abilities would fail to stand up to the Earth's Core. While such a thing required concentration and extreme precision, it wasn't something he couldn't do.

After all, he, Vegeta, and Nappa purged plenty of planets growing up and by this point in time, Raditz was pretty sure he knew how much ki it took to destroy a planet.

The only difference here was that he wasn't trying to destroy the planet per say.

Raditz's blonde brows furrowed as he seemed to mull over the idea a bit more. The more he repeated the idea back to himself, the more reckless it seemed. While it was naturally a pretty decent idea, there was just so much at stake when it all came down to it. For instance, if he messed up somehow or even failed, the Earth could explode. He could potentially end up killing everyone, along with himself, in the process.

Which was definitely a no.

In that case, he'd settle for the next best thing.

There had to be countless volcanoes on Earth and if he could somehow bait Buu towards a volcano, then that would do just as much good as his previous plan.

But would Buu be patient enough and follow him all the way through?

"It's Buu's turn! Now Buu send you flying!" Buu insisted, quickly appearing before Raditz and headbutting the male with as much vigor as he could muster up.

Or at least, Buu intended to headbutt the Saiyan.

Raditz had been a second quicker, using his Instant Transmission to appear down on the ground. He just needed to keep thinking. Granted he didn't have much longer until his transformation would revert, but he was bound to come up with something, right? After all, failing anymore than he already has just wasn't an option.


	15. Chapter 15

A/N: Much appreciation for the feedback and support!

Guest: That's a pretty good story idea. Have you considered giving it a try? That'd be a really good read.

Ame: I think I may have looked over your question about sacrifices, but it looks like the next chapter will answer your question! :)

Fan of 17: Thanks so much! Really appreciate the support!

Gamelover41592: I wanted to do it as a flashback. I figured it would be slightly better.

coldblue2015: I'm in the process of PM'ing you! Love the questions and suggestions as usual!

(1) is credited to coldblue2015.

* * *

Chapter 15: Atonement, Death, and Tears! Part III

* * *

"Damn it," Raditz cursed, scoffing afterwards as he watched his ki barrage hit nothing but air. Nevertheless, the burly male continued his ki onslaught, firing out pink spherical ki blasts towards Majin Buu.

He was certainly quick on his feet, if nothing else.

And whilst he hated to admit it, Raditz knew he was getting absolutely nowhere with his pudgy opponent.

Furthermore, to make matters worse, an additional five minutes had passed.

In other words, he has already been in his SSJ3 state for fifteen minutes now. And seeing as he could only uphold his transformation for a total of thirty minutes, something had to give here. Obviously the idea of pinpointing any weaknesses in SSJ2 state before transforming into SSJ3 didn't work, nor did the idea of forcing Majin Buu down to the Earth's Core work.

Or rather, as previously stated, he wasn't going to attempt something so risky.

Then there was also the idea of leading Majin Buu to a volcano and ridding of him that way, but it was almost as if he couldn't get Buu focused on anything else but fighting or according to him "playing". After all, whenever Raditz tried to lead Buu elsewhere, the pink male would cut off his path and put him under a series of attacks.

The huge Saiyan couldn't help but release yet another scoff in irritation.

"Let's play more! Buu wants more!"

The deceivingly innocent-looking creature was now rushing towards Raditz head on, maneuvering in and out of the path of Raditz's attack. Then, the pink male was all but appearing above Raditz and charging up a ki blast of his own before releasing it. The long-haired Saiyan quickly phased out of Buu's line of attack and appeared above him instead, "Double Sunday!"

Raditz had all but fired out two pink energy waves from either of his hands, watching as Buu whirled around and propelled himself out of the Saiyan's line of attack.

"You miss Buu! It's Buu's turn now!"

However, the Saiyan didn't plan on waiting around for Buu to attack him. Instead, Raditz used his Instant Transmission to appear directly before Buu and, "Kaaameeeehaaameee... _HA_!"

Near instantaneously, Majin Buu went hurling downwards with a childish grunt and Raditz was quick to position his hands accordingly - all but charging up as much ki as he possibly could. He didn't have long before Buu bounced back, but Raditz wasn't fazed. If anything, if he could charge up just enough ki for his attack - his Block Buster Canon (1) - then perhaps he could do more damage than originally planned.

After all, it was certainly worth a shot.

And if that didn't work, then there was really only one thing left that he could do.

~0~

She had a bad feeling.

A really bad feeling.

Unfortunately, for the life of her, Android 18 couldn't get to the bottom of said feeling. Rather, she was just familiar with the sensation. It was almost the same feeling she got before her and her brother found themselves in Dr. Gero's hands. Usually her sensations of which involved a unsettling feeling of dread never steered her wrong, nor did her nightmares.

After all, given all that her and Android 17 had gone through, it made sense for her to develop a rather _solid_ intuition if one took the time to think about it.

Furthermore, they had been used to things going horribly wrong for the longest of time and if there was anything that she was grateful for, it was that Android 17 had remained somewhat unaffected through it all, at least. If anything, she'd rather be the one dealing with the trauma of their past. She wasn't sure if it had anything to do with the fact that she was the oldest twin sibling or the fact that she was so protective of her brother given their crappy childhood and livelihood, but regardless...

Android 18 knew that if either of them should have to bare anything from their past, that she would rather it be her.

The blonde bombshell's blonde eyebrows twitched as she continued on her way to where her husband was. Perhaps it was because of that, being used to baring things and her past, that she was prepared to bare whatever it was Raditz was shouldering as well. After all, there was no telling how he was feeling after what happened to Gohan and the Supreme Kai and, to make matters worse, he had her shut out of their link.

Or rather, she had been shut out of his mind from the moment she came to.

And truth be told, it scared her.

Admittingly, she had been quite harsh with Piccolo and Krillin, but she couldn't help it. She has been on edge since she first had that nightmare before the tournament and the current matter with Majin Buu and her past sure didn't make anything any better. It was almost as if she was used to bad things happening to her or to those around her. Not to mention, or rather more importantly, the fact that her husband was battling that _thing_ alone sure didn't ease her worry in the slightest either.

Granted, her and Raditz hadn't started off on the best of terms when they first met, but he slowly but surely grew on her and eventually she found herself loving him. He had always managed to be there for her and had comforted her and protected her several times. She loved him and the product of their love was their twin half-Sayians.

Raditz, her kids, her brother, Gohan, Goten, Chi-Chi, and Bulma...they were all important to her and it would destroy her if she was to lose anyone else.

In addition, she was finally in a lifestyle that she didn't mind being in at all.

Once more, Android 18 was briefly reminded of that horrid dream of being surrounded by a pool of blood and her dead loved ones. And then suddenly, as if motivated all the more, the blonde bombshell found herself near tripling her speed, her shoulder-length hair whipping back fiercely.

"Raditz," Android 18 found herself muttering to no one in particular, "You better not be planning anything stupid."

~0~

Raditz panted lightly, dropping his arms back down to his sides.

It was just as he thought.

Buu's regenerative capabilities far exceeded Cell's to the point where even his Block Buster Canon (1) wasn't enough. Then again, it wasn't as if he had enough time to collect a sufficient amount of ki to be able to do his opponent in for good. It'd be much better if he had someone to buy him enough time to collect enough ki for a large scale attack, but it seemed as if Kakarot and Vegeta still had their hands full with each other. Raditz found himself 'tsking' again for what had to be the millionth time. This was taking far too long and the Saiyan male couldn't help but curse his idiot brother and Vegeta.

Or rather, Vegeta.

After all, it was _Vegeta_ that had managed to screw things up by having his own selfish agenda yet again. Why was it always him attempting to clean up Vegeta's mess? Even after all these years, it seemed as if things hadn't really changed at all.

Or at least as much as everyone initially thought.

"Hey, _you_ ," Babidi addressed with a vindictive snicker, "are you spacing out because you finally realized that it's pointless to go against Buu?"

Whilst Babidi did successfully snag Raditz out of his light daze, the green male found himself on the receiving end of an unsettling, bone-chilling death stare. Almost immediately, the small wizard ceased his chuckling and all but trembled in fear.

"B-Buu," Babidi addressed with furrowed brows, "Get rid of him already! Hurry! And don't make me tell you again!"

The pink creature in question tilted his head slightly as if to question whether or not he should listen to the male, but, almost as if recalling Babidi's earlier words about him being able to seal him away at any given moment, Buu quickly got back into the swing of things. With a childish grunt, Buu all but quickly regenerated and propelled himself off of the ground and towards a mid-air Raditz with a push of the feet.

Once again, the two males were face-to-face, calmly regarding the other in a near deafening silence.

Raditz's teal eyes narrowed in just the slightest of ways.

Now he was down to ten minutes.

In ten more minutes, he'd no longer be a SSJ3. Matter-of-factly, he wouldn't even be in his SSJ2 state. Would it be better to go ahead and revert back now? Or should he stay in his current form? After all, if he reverted back now, he wouldn't be in his base state at least. And Raditz was pretty sure that reverting to his SSJ2 or SSJ state to conserve energy was much better off than involuntarily being in his base state against Majin Buu.

Then again, all he had to do was create a sufficient amount of energy to be able to completely destroy Buu, right?

And if he couldn't gather enough energy without someone holding off Buu, then the only other option he had left was to self-destruct. That truly was the only thing left that he could do as mentioned earlier. Granted, he could go into Oozaru form if he really needed to, but his Oozaru form wasn't enough to _completely_ destroy Buu. In addition, it'd do nothing but make him a much bigger and easier target. Raditz exhaled slightly, his heart seemingly speeding up in his chest as an brief image of his family - his wife, his kids, his brother, Goten, Gohan, Chi-Chi, 17 as well as Piccolo, and Bulma flashed in his head.

He would hate to leave them all behind, but if he had to be painfully honest with himself, he would hate it even more if he was to lose anyone else. It was bad enough that he had to face Kakarot after what he allowed to happen to the Supreme Kai and Gohan.

The burly Saiyan was all but steeling his resolve, his teal eyes hardening with conviction. If that was what had to be done to keep his family alive and well, then so be -

 _" - Raditz!"_

Raditz cocked a non-existent eyebrow at the call of his name. Of course, he recognized who the voice belonged to, but what he wasn't sure about was why Piccolo was calling out to him now of all times.

Though, for Piccolo to be using his telepathy had to spell some sort of trouble he wasn't sure he wanted to hear.

"Yeah?" The Saiyan answered back somewhat hesitantly.

There was a brief silence that made Raditz question whether or not he was hearing things, but then Piccolo was quickly continuing as if he hadn't stopped in the first place.

 _"Given the situation you're in, I'm just going to be frank with you... your wife is currently heading towards your location."_

Raditz's teal eyes widened considerably at the news. "What?!"

 _"I know,"_ Piccolo responded telepathically, _"I'm sorry, Raditz, but your wife is - "_

"- _Stubborn._ " Raditz finished in a clipped tone. Of course, his anger wasn't directed towards Piccolo in anyway. Rather, it was mostly directed towards himself and his wife. Didn't she know that he had knocked her out for a reason? He didn't want her involved in this ordeal, at all. Why was that so hard for her to understand?

"Are you done with the one man freak show now or have you gone senile?" Babidi inquired with a sneaky grin.

Raditz guessed that the little green wizard thought that that he was safe from him just because he was on the ground, but he wasn't. And Raditz proved that with ease by using his Instant Transmission and appearing directly before Babidi and releasing the pink ki blast in his hand. Babidi's eyes were wide with fear, but by the time he realized what was happening it was far too late.

Babidi was dead and went out with a shrill scream.

Silence.

Then Buu was releasing a child-like noise, but not of anger like Raditz would've thought. After all, Raditz had just killed his master, but it seemed as if Buu could care less. Buu was more concerned with continuing things and had been seemingly confused by Raditz talking to what had seemed like no one. Nevertheless, it seemed like Buu was over it. "You done now? Buu tired of waiting!"

The burly Saiyan was dropping out of his SSJ3 state, turning to face his mid-air opponent. "Yeah, I'm done. Let's finish this already."

~0~

Vegeta regarded Goku's unconscious form in silence, his fists idly hanging by his sides and his features oddly relaxed.

Their fight was finally over.

And perhaps that was for the best.

After all, there had been too many factors in this fight. For one, their fight had literally taken place during a crisis that could very much destroy the entire universe. Secondly, because of said crisis and Majin Buu, even if Vegeta could have forced Kakarot into transforming into a SSJ3, Kakarot would have been too distracted with everyone else's well being.

Especially considering both the Supreme Kai's and Gohan's ki had all but dropped substantially in the midst of their fight.

All in all, the result probably would've been the same.

But of course, he didn't listen when Kakarot said that this simply wasn't the time to do this. All that mattered at the time was proving himself and he didn't even do that much. Then again, when was the last time something went right for him? It was as if whenever he wanted something, the closer it came within reach, the further away it actually was.

Just like when he thought he achieved SSJ on Planet Namek.

And to add more insult to injury, Raditz was the one to become SSJ first back then.

Vegeta closed his eyes, as if relishing in his thoughts - or rather _failures_ \- a while longer.

It was quite ironic that someone of his status struggled so much to obtain his goals and desires whilst those of the lower class, those completely _beneath_ him, didn't seem to struggle at all. And just when he thought that he caught up somewhat and progressed, he was shown yet again that he was still on the back-burner of things.

Would things ever change?

Before his thoughts could continue further, Vegeta harrumphed. He didn't have time to mull this over right now. After all, just as Kakarot indicated earlier, he had been well aware of what was happening aside them all along. The Supreme Kai's ki as well as Gohan's ki's was no where to be found, no matter how hard he concentrated and tried to pick it up. As far as Tarble's, the short-stack's, and the Namekian's ki, Vegeta could sense that they were well at least. If anything, it was likely that Raditz allowed them to escape while he remained behind to take care of Buu.

And by the feel of things, it seemed as if Raditz was no longer in his SSJ3 state.

That was the whole reason Kakarot stopped their fight - the dip in Raditz's ki. The taller Saiyan had insisted that he refused to allow anyone else to get hurt while he remained on the sidelines fighting him, and even Vegeta knew that he couldn't convince his rival otherwise at this point. So, the moment they called a temporary truce to take care of Majin Buu together, Vegeta knocked out his rival with a harsh chop to the neck the moment he let his guard down.

After all, as much as he hated to admit it, he had felt slightly guilty.

And guilt wasn't something that plagued him often.

Furthermore, now that he reflected back to earlier, even Vegeta had to admit that he was slightly ashamed of how he acted.

 _"What...is this?" Vegeta inquired out loud and wide-eyed. "Is this the same Raditz? The same Saiyan-reject?" Why did it feel much different than what he felt before? Was this the effect of actually being near such power?_

 _From across from him, Goku remained silent but the shock was apparent on his features as well. In fact, it was such an unexpected move on Raditz's end, that both Goku and Vegeta halted in their tracks near immediately. Then, whilst Vegeta was still visibly engrossed in his thoughts, Goku was cracking a light smile. The taller Saiyan's eyes flickered onto Vegeta's, his smile widening. "Well, looks like you're not the only one that has been training, Vegeta. Looks like Raditz has been training as well."_

 _No response._

 _After all, Vegeta was still in shock and somewhat rigid where he stood - and rightfully so. How could Raditz obtain something like this? Vegeta just didn't understand. It wasn't as if he didn't train like everyone else. In fact, Vegeta knew he went above and beyond and trained harder than anyone. So, why? Why was he rewarded so little for all of his hard work and training?_

 _"Though I was caught a little off guard," Goku elaborated, lightly stirring Vegeta out of his thoughts, "I can't say that I'm surprised that Raditz mastered SSJ3."_

 _Vegeta's eyes widened, seemingly refocusing and losing its thin layer of haze. "SSJ3?" The Prince repeated almost slowly. Then his teal eyes were narrowing hatefully. He didn't need the reminder nor for it to be rubbed in his face. "Must you mock me, Kakarot?"_

 _Goku looked taken aback - almost as if he was at a lost of how to respond. Though, after a pregnant pause of silence, it seemed that Goku was finally going to respond._

 _But Vegeta could care less._

 _The Prince of All Saiyans was seeing nothing but red._

 _"V-Vegeta!" Goku called out wide-eyed, bobbing and weaving to the best of his abilities; the Saiyan Prince had all but rushed him. "Wait! It's not that big of a deal, right?"_

 _Vegeta angrily scoffed as he continuously kept Goku on the receiving end of wild and fast punches. After all, he was quite pissed and the more he thought about Goku holding out on him and not being able to force his opponent to do otherwise, the angrier Vegeta became. "Of course it wouldn't be a big deal to you, Kakarot! After all, you're used to me living in your pathetic shadow, aren't you Clown?"_

 _Goku smartly decided to pull back from Vegeta, taking flight into the skies instead. If he thought there was no getting to Vegeta before, then there was really no way he'd get through to Vegeta now. After all, he has never seen Vegeta this pissed before. Why couldn't Vegeta understand that he has been training for the past seven years? Since he has been dead, he has done nothing but continuously train in the Other World. Therefore, it made sense for him to get stronger._

 _And Goku relayed just that to Vegeta._

 _In-between more of Vegeta's rapid onslaught of punches, of course._

 _"Don't patronize me, Kakarot! Believe me when I say that that's the last thing I need!"_

 _Goku parried Vegeta's punches with his own, not at all surprised that Vegeta had pursued him to the skies._

An explosion sounding off nearby brought Vegeta back to his senses and out of the memory from earlier. As much as he hated to even think that there was a level beyond him, a level that he had yet to obtain, Vegeta was no fool. If Raditz hadn't destroyed Majin Buu in SSJ3 yet, then there wasn't much he could do. That was probably why his now unconscious rival had insisted on the three of them taking Majin Buu together.

It would seem that it was exactly as the Supreme Kai said.

Had he listened, then it was likely that the Supreme Kai and Gohan would still be alive right now.

Much like the people he killed at the tournament in front of Bulma, Tarble, Trunks - _everyone_.

The Saiyan Prince spared Goku's limp and unconscious form one more glance before taking off in the direction of Majin Buu and Raditz. "Sorry, Kakarot, but this is something I need to handle alone."

It was already bad enough that Kakarot had been holding out on him during their fight or rather that he couldn't force Kakarot to use SSJ3 like he intended. But this? This took the cake. Granted, he felt the same surge of power coming from Raditz during the recent years but he wanted to believe that he would forcibly close that gap between he and anyone else that was stronger than him. He didn't want to believe that he made absolutely no progress at all. His efforts were for naught and not only did he not catch up to his long-time rival at all, but he was also a step behind Raditz as well. And to think he allowed Babidi to enhance his powers and he had nothing to show for it in the end. He sacrificed his pride as well as Tarble's and Bulma's trust in the end.

Vegeta's brow twitched slightly, enveloping himself in even more ki as he continued to make his way to the ongoing battle.

Earlier, Kakarot had called him a coward and mentioned that his own weakness had been himself all along. Was it odd that he was actually considering Kakarot's words out of all people?

Then again, what would Kakarot know?

Kakarot knew nothing about struggling or being enslaved for years. Kakarot didn't know the weight that accompanied royalty. In the end, Kakarot always got rewarded and achieved his goals.

What more did he have to do for things to go his way?

For as long as he could remember, he has been taking things by force. He purged planets by force, he forced himself to get stronger by battling much stronger enemies, and he severed whatever ties that needed to be severed in order to make what he wanted to have happen. He even continuously forced himself to train well beyond his limits - day and night - for however long he needed to.

So where was he going wrong?

What was Kakarot and Raditz doing that he wasn't doing?

Unfortunately, Vegeta's thoughts continuously ran a mile a minute. Or rather, in circles it seemed. Whenever he thought he had a solution to his dilemna, it proved horribly wrong and blew up in his face in the end. If it was one thing that was consistent, it was _that_ outcome at least.

Only this time, his solution as far as allowing Babidi to take over his mind, cost him more than he would have ever imagined.


	16. Chapter 16

A/N: Alrighty, so I actually re-read/skimmed Second Chances and I read what I wrote of Wave Of Return so far. I wanted things fresh in my head since I did take a break for a bit. I didn't edit Second Chances at all, but I did edit Wave of Return since I saw a few inconsistences in the latest chapters mainly 14 and 15. I corrected three main things:(1) Raditz SSJ3 holds for no more than 30 minutes. In the very first chapter, I mistakenly put an hour. It's supposed to be 30 mins. (2) Piccolo and the son household has seen Raditz form whilst training. I mistakenly made it seem as if no one was aware of it. (3) Unlike canon, Vegeta suspected that Goku was able to transform into a SSJ3, so it's not really a surprise like I mistakenly made it out to be.

 **All in all, I mainly edited bits of 14 and 15 of Wave of Return, so there's no more inconsistences.**

Sorry about that guys, hopefully I don't take anymore breaks.

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Guest: Thanks! And that's actually a pretty good idea! I did plan on going into everyone's reactions about everything.

Gamelover41592: Thank you. It was a bit hard writing this chapter, tbh.

coldblue2015: Great feedback as usual; I'm in the process of PM'ing you now!

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(1) Majin Buu's Vaporize attack

(2) credit for attack belongs to coldblue2015

As always, thank you all for the continuous support and feedback! Much appreciated!

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Chapter 16: Atonement, Death, and Tears! This Is Goodbye!

* * *

"Why you change? Tell Buu why."

Majin Buu's question was asked in utter innocence, but Raditz knew by now not to be decieved. If anything, Majin Buu was a mere monster in disguise and it was due to that very reason that Majin Buu was fearsome.

Or rather, _one_ of the reasons.

The long-haired Saiyan pointedly ignored Buu's concerns, distractedly watching as his pink opponent landed directly before him. For the past few minutes or so, possibly even longer, Raditz has been trying to figure out why he could no longer feel Kakarot's ki and why Vegeta was the one heading towards him instead. There was no way that Vegeta could have defeated Kakarot, right? After all, Kakarot was arguably the strongest out of the three of them. Granted, it tended to shift, prime example being when Vegeta had been the strongest at one point in time prior to the Cell Games, but that was the overall trend for the most part. And if Raditz had to be honest, he would like to think that he and Kakarot were on near equal terms, but there was no way he could confirm his theory of Kakarot being able to transform into a SSJ3 while said male was presumably unconscious.

The bulky male had been really looking forward to discussing Kakarot's training in the Other World and what he accomplished.

"Buu asked you question! You no hear Buu?"

Raditz's teal eyes refocused onto his opponent, narrowing slightly.

Time was of the essence and that was clear more than anything - especially with his wife on the way to the battlefield. And seeing as he was currently in his SSJ2 form, having reverted back to avoid completely running out of ki due his SSJ3 transformation from earlier, he was really running out of time.

"Don't worry," Raditz finally answered, summoning an intense aura of yellow ki around his bulky frame, "this form should be more than enough to do you in."

Buu opened his eyes in just the slightest of ways, "Enough to do Buu in?"

"That's right," Raditz agreed, eyes all but narrowing.

And then without further ado, Raditz powered up even more with a battle yell and the long-haired male was all but immersing himself with ki. The male planned on summoning all of the remaining energy he possibly could and then he would release it all at once.

That should take care of Majin Buu's troublesome regenerative capabilities.

And then his family, Bulma, and everyone else would remain safe and then he could at least protect them from the horrors of confronting such a seemingly indestructible being.

Despite the situation, Raditz couldn't help but smirk.

It was quite ironic really.

There was a time where he would do anything - lie even - to stay alive and save his own skin. Now, he was getting ready to die to protect others and those he loved. It was due to Kakarot and him alone. After all, had it not been for his brother, he would have died on Earth the same day he arrived. He would have remained a laughing stock and a failure to his peers.

He would have never had a chance to prove otherwise.

He would have never experienced the freedom he has grown to be accustomed to.

And more importantly, he would have never had a chance to have a family of his own.

The Saiyan male closed his eyes, envisioning the faces of Marise and Taro in his head; they were only three years old and he was preparing to leave them behind. Further, it looked as if he and Piccolo wouldn't be training for a while, nor would he be present to break up one of the many fights between Trunks and Goten. And as much as he hated to admit it, he'd never get to see Gohan in his ridiculous get up again or hear 17 brag about his unhealthy gambling habits.

Nor would he be able to taste Chi-Chi's cooking or get teased by a certain blue-haired scientist again.

And last but not least, his wife.

That woman was the mother of his kids and his other half - in more ways than one.

"I'm sorry, Lazuli...but this is it."

And just as Raditz had all but released the breath he hadn't been aware he was holding in, having finished gathering up what remaining energy he had left, an all too familiar voice was reeling him out of his thoughts.

"So that scrap of metal _does_ have a name?"

Raditz's teal eyes snapped open, noting that a certain Saiyan Prince was touching down at his side. And to make matters worse, he was sporting that arrogant smirk of his of which Raditz hated with a passion.

Silence.

Then Raditz's blonde brows were furrowing in irritation as realization hit him. "What the hell did you say about 18?!"

Vegeta harrumphed, arms folded across his chest. "Don't make me repeat myself."

Raditz's teal eyes narrowed daringly, "I wouldn't advise you to."

Vegeta harrumphed, "And if I do?"

Fortunately, before things could get worse between the two ex-comrades, Buu was childishly frowning. It was obvious the pink male had grown tired of waiting around and he expressed just that. "Buu wait no more! Buu wait enough! Buu make you change back!"

Raditz's eyes widened as the pink male was all but outstretching either of his arms and facing either of his palms towards them. Then, in an instant, Majin Buu was firing out an bluish-green beam (1) towards them full force.

And whilst Vegeta's eyes widened, Raditz had no problems swearing.

"Shit," the bulky male cursed.

Not only had he missed his opportunity to obliterate Majin Buu, but the pink creature seemed rather upset. Raditz guessed Vegeta wasn't done screwing shit up, after all.

And as if to further emphasize his displeasure, Buu's beam like attack shifted into a massive ball of energy about mid-way. Quickly, the remaining energy Raditz had been gathering to use for his intended self-destruct, was used as a counter as the long-haired Saiyan had all but shifted energy to the palms of his hands instead and, "Block Buster Canon (2)!"

The dark purple ki rivaled that of a city block in size and hurled towards Majin Buu's massive attack.

There was no way Raditz could allow such an attack to make any form of contact with Earth whatsoever. There was no telling how much damage the Earth would sustain from such an attack and he certainly wasn't going to wait to find out. It seemed to take forever and time seemingly slowed down in the process. However, even if today seemed to get progressively worse, it seemed as if fate was on his side at least.

Majin Buu's attack was of no more.

Unfortunately, the bulky Saiyan was involuntarily reverting to his base form.

This wasn't good.

Raditz had really been banking on self-destructing and getting rid of Buu and now he couldn't even do that. Not to mention that he was completely out of ki and utterly vulnerable before his enemy.

This wasn't how things were supposed to go at all.

Now what would become of everyone? What would happen from here on out?

Angrily, Raditz's black eyes diverted onto the silent smaller Saiyan at his side, grasping him by one of the dark blue straps on his person in the process. "Damn it, Vegeta! What the hell?! Why did you even come here if you were just going to screw shit up again?!"

Vegeta released a low growl, none-to-gently freely himself of Raditz's grip. "Get off of me, Saiyan-trash!"

However, Raditz wasn't going to back down that easily; the exhausted male was beyond pissed and it showed.

"Saiyan-trash?" Raditz repeated with narrowed black eyes, "You have some nerve after what you did today, Vegeta. If anything is trash around here, it's you."

If Raditz's word impacted Vegeta, the Prince didn't show it. Nonetheless, the shorter male was quick to retort, "That's rich coming from someone that looks as if they're going to kill over any minute now. Why don't you let the real Saiyan warrior take care of things here?"

Raditz's eyes widened at Vegeta's audacity. "Why you - "

But Vegeta didn't plan on listening to whatever it was Raditz intended to say, ruthlessly slamming his leg into the bulky male's midsection and sending him hurling backwards. " - Now get out of my way."

The Saiyan Prince stared after the bulky Saiyan in silence for a bit, before diverting his attention onto Majin Buu. " _I'm_ your opponent now, Fatso. From here on out, it'll just be you and me."

Buu tilted his head to the side, "...Fatso?"

"That's right," Vegeta continued, "Or are you too stupid to understand what that means?"

Silence.

For a moment there, Vegeta wasn't sure if Majin Buu heard him, but when Majin Buu's eyes opened, Vegeta knew otherwise. The shorter male smirked. Oh? Was he upset? It would seem as if the pink blob before him had feelings and emotions after all. For a creature that near forced Raditz to self destruct and killed both the Supreme Kai and Gohan, he was oddly sensitive.

Meanwhile, as if to further emphasize his anger, Majin Buu notably swelled up in size before releasing what looked like steam or white smoke out of the open holes of which loitered his body.

"Did I upset you?" Vegeta couldn't help but taunt the pink male further.

"You make Buu mad so Buu make you pay!"

Vegeta snorted; nonetheless, the male was all but summoning more ki around his frame with a continuous battle cry. The very ground Vegeta and Majin Buu were standing on was near trembling in response, harsh winds generating from the sheer power he was releasing. Then, having summoned his full potential, Majin Vegeta was all but rushing towards Majin Buu and slamming his knee into Buu's face.

Majin Buu stumbled backwards slightly, but Vegeta was far from finished, touching down with a back flip before following it up with a hard fist to the stomach and then a roundhouse kick. As a result, Majin Buu went hurling backwards, but Vegeta was quick to faze in behind the male and slam his elbow into Buu's back.

Buu released a "oomph!" from the impact, all but hurling in the direction he had been coming from.

At least before Vegeta had all but grasped the pink antenna atop of his head and slung him around before flinging a ki blast after the pink male.

An explosion sounded off shortly after.

Of course, Vegeta wasn't fooled by any means.

So, when Majin Buu quickly recuperated and all but ran towards him, Vegeta met him head on without fail.

This time the Saiyan Prince slammed his fist into Buu's face, swinging his other fist forwards and catching him in the jaw again. Relentlessly, Vegeta slammed his knee into Majin Buu's stomach, quickly gaining momentum and putting the pink male on a receiving end of harsh punches and knees left and right. Eventually, the Prince was finishing his assault with a harsh uppercut, watching as Buu stumbled backwards and fell onto his back.

Vegeta harrumphed.

What this the best Majin Buu could do? If so, then perhaps he had been wrong to think that he wouldn't be able to do much. After all, Kakarot had a habit of making a big deal out of nothing from time to time. Perhaps Kakarot had been especially worried because of what happened to Gohan and the Supreme Kai. Either way, Vegeta refused to have his life saved again whilst remaining on the sidelines.

Raditz had taken down Frieza on Planet Namek and Kakarot had sacrificed himself to protect them against Cell.

Now it was his turn to step up to the plate.

He would take down Majin Buu even if it cost him his life. Granted, perhaps he would be dead by the time Kakarot woke up, but Earth would remain safe and intact. Perhaps even Raditz would shut up about him always screwing things up and making a mess out of the situation; he'd show the both of them.

Vegeta ceased his thoughts the moment Buu finally decided to rise back up to his feet, charging his pink opponent.

Again, the Saiyan Prince put Buu on the receiving end of a barrage of attacks as the flame-haired Saiyan had it in mind to continuously keep his opponent on the defensive; he wouldn't give him a chance to go on the offensive.

Perhaps that was where Raditz and the others messed up at.

Distractedly, Vegeta finished off his ruthless assault with a kick to the chin, forcing Buu to hurl upwards and near out of sight. Though, the Saiyan Prince quickly appeared behind Buu and sent him hurling back towards the ground with a harsh twirl kick.

His child-like opponent was all but slamming into the ground and quickly finding himself enveloped within a massive crater of sorts.

Wordlessly, Vegeta touched back down on the grassless grounds and took in his handiwork.

It was only a matter of time before Buu revealed himself and once he did so, Vegeta would be prepared.

And so, the Saiyan Prince, a yellow aura blazing around him and lightning cackling around his being, slowly raised up his hand and faced his palm in the crater's direction; the moment Buu hopped out, Vegeta would obliterate him. Minutes later, just as Vegeta hoped, Majin Buu had all but hopped out of the crater, seemingly reversing all of the damage Vegeta caused upon him with a simple exhale.

And then, Vegeta was releasing the blast from the center of his palm, piercing Majin Buu's stomach and leaving a gaping hole smack dab in the middle.

Majin Buu fell onto his stomach rather ungracefully and he seemed to be down for the count.

Vegeta smirked at this.

"He's not finished."

Upon being addressed, Vegeta's teal eyes shifted off of the pink being sprawled out on the ground and onto a exhausted Raditz. The bulky Saiyan was all but clutching his midsection as it was still somewhat throbbing from Vegeta's attack earlier. For some reason, Raditz couldn't help but mull that the power Vegeta was currently putting off didn't match up to the capabilities that the SSJ2 state was known to have.

Simply put, Vegeta's current SSJ2 state felt more powerful.

Though, considering all that transpired, it was probably a result of Babidi's spell.

And speaking of such, if Babidi was dead, why was his spell on Vegeta still active? Or did it not matter? Or could it be that it took time to wear off?

Nevertheless, seeing as he had Vegeta's attention, Raditz continued. "Vegeta...Majin Buu's regenerative capabilities far exceeds Cell's and what's worse is that unlike Buu, Cell had apparent weaknesses. For one, he had your cells in his body and was overly confident in his abilities and didn't believe his Perfect Form could be done in. Secondly, despite Cell having Piccolo's regenerative abilities, the more damage Cell took, the longer it took for Cell to recover."

Vegeta's eyes widened slightly, his head whipping back in the direction of Majin Buu upon hearing a small but audible noise. The pink creature had made a childish sigh as he quickly got back up and clenched his gloved hands into fists. Then, inhaling notably so that his cheeks swelled up, Majin Buu released a childish grunt as he was back to his original state within seconds.

"As you can see," Raditz continued slowly, watching as Majin Buu enveloped himself in pink ki as he presumably started prepping for an attack of his own, "that's not the case here."

Vegeta's mouth fell open slightly, realization striking him the moment Majin's Buu ki noticeably surged. The pink male was releasing an tremendous amount of ki - so much so that the skies were noticeably darkening and his ki was visibly rippling out. What was this thing? Was Raditz seriously implying that this thing had no weaknesses at all? Was that why Raditz had been preparing to self-destruct?

Vegeta didn't have time to ask.

As Majin Buu was releasing a shrill cry as he all but released the energy he accumulated.

"Shit!" Raditz cursed wide-eyed, his long hair whipping backwards.

Both he and Vegeta had their arms crossed over in an attempt to keep any debris from getting into their faces; however, it would seem they had more important matters to worry about.

Like the huge dome of energy currently accelerating towards them.

~0~

"You've got to be kidding." Piccolo remarked from his position atop of the Lookout. The Namekian's eyes were wide and his fists were clenched. After all, he couldn't believe his eyes. Was this the end for them all?

On his right, Dende was just as fearful.

And rightfully so.

How could such a being exist?

Majin Buu was pure evil, so much so that Dende wholly believed that even Frieza didn't hold a candle to this creature. And that alone spoke volumes considering everything that Frieza has done and put his race (and presumably many others) through.

Dende felt near sick to his stomach.

To think that there was someone out there that was even more fearsome than Frieza was a nightmare Dende wanted no part of. Although it looked as if he (nor anyone else) didn't have a choice in the matter.

The smaller Namekian swallowed thickly. He had all but turned his head towards Krillin...

Only to notice that he wasn't there?

~0~

Vegeta spluttered up blood with wide eyes, noting that Raditz was in a similar condition; they were both bleeding and sporting injuries and it didn't seem as if Buu was quite finished with them just yet.

After all, the two males quickly found themselves separating in an attempt to avoid the plethora of pink, huge ki blasts Majin Buu was spitting towards them. The pink creature was merciless and it didn't seem as if he would let up anytime soon.

Vegeta 'tsked', quickly maneuvering in and out of Majin Buu's ki blasts.

"Buu make you _pay_!" The pink creature promised childishly, notably inhaling and then exhaling yet again.

This time, his pink blast hurled towards Vegeta at seemingly double the speed and the Prince of All Saiyans had no choice but to quickly ascend to the skies in an attempt to escape the attack.

Although, Buu proved to be contradictorily quick and all but appeared behind Vegeta and slammed his fist into the Prince's face. Vegeta released a grunt as he took the punch, all but hurling towards the ground at blinding speeds.

Buu's deceptive smile widened all the more as he grasped a portion of his bulging pink belly and pulled until he had a ball of himself in his own hands. Quickly, Buu pulled with either of his hands until it stretched out and looked like taffy and all but hurled it towards Vegeta's body and entangled the male with it. Vegeta didn't know what hit him, slamming down into the ground with a grunt.

The male spluttered up blood with wide eyes.

Was this the end? Did he truly have no weaknesses? And why couldn't he move?

Buu gave Vegeta little time to process his thoughts, childishly landing atop of Vegeta and smothering the Saiyan with all of his weight. Vegeta's eyes near bulged, releasing a strangled cry as a result.

Then Buu repeated the action again, forcing yet another cry of pain out of the Saiyan beneath him, but as if that wasn't nearly as satisfactory, Majin Buu quickly settled for pummeling the male left and right with his gloved fists instead.

"Pow, Pow, POW!"

Vegeta wasn't sure how long he took such attacks from Majin Buu, but he was aware that his consciousness was slowly slipping out of his grasp.

"Pow, Pow, POW!" Buu chanted again, cocking his fist back in order to get another punch in.

But it never came.

Vegeta weakly cracked open his eyes, his vison somewhat distorted. "...Kakarot?"

"No," Android 18 answered calmly, coolly touching down at Vegeta's side. The bombshell blonde had all but sent Majin Buu flying backwards with a hard kick. She stared after the creature for a moment, watching as he slammed into a series of cliffs one by one, before diverting her icy blue eyes onto Vegeta's entangled form. 18 swiftly began to free Vegeta just enough so that he was able to get the rest off of himself before heading elsewhere.

The Saiyan Prince sat up, grasping his head with a hand as he winced.

The blonde was the last person Vegeta expected to intervene - after all, it was no secret that he disliked her. Vegeta's eyes diverted onto 18's small frame, watching as she quickly set to moving aside huge rocks off of something.

"Raditz!" 18 called out worriedly, her blonde brows furrowed as she quickly dropped to her knees.

He was in bad shape and unconscious to boot.

"Android," Vegeta addressed after a bout of silence, rising to his feet. "Take Raditz and get out of here. As far away as you can."

18 looked taken aback, diverting her icy eyes off of her husband and onto Vegeta. "And what about you?"

Vegeta harrumphed; nonetheless, he answered. "I'm staying here. This is something I must do alone."

18 rose back up to her feet, slinging Raditz's arm around her shoulder. "Alright." She agreed. "And Goku?"

"Kakarot will be fine. Now just go already."

18 didn't look convinced at first, but Vegeta didn't really seem like the type to lie at a time like this.

"Oh," Vegeta tacked on, craning his head to take in Raditz's unconscious features. "And when he wakes up, tell him to look after Bulma and Trunks for me. We've never been on the best of terms, but he's always taken good care of them."

18 said nothing in response and Vegeta didn't expect her to. If anything, the blonde quickly took to the skies with her husband's unconscious form in tow. Vegeta's teal eyes trailed after them for a moment, before diverting back in front of him. Buu was quickly approaching him."This is goodbye Bulma and Trunks. Goodbye to you as well, Kakarot."

"And yes, even to you, Raditz."

"You make Buu mad again! Me no like you! Buu end things now!"

Vegeta harrumphed, summoning an immense amount of yellow ki around his frame. "What a coincidence; looks like we both have the same thing in mind. The only difference is - " Vegeta smirked, noting that Buu was sliding backwards from the amount of ki he was releasing - "I'll be the one to succeed!"

"You kill Buu?"

"That's right," Vegeta agreed, smirk widening. "I'm going to crush you and throw you into the wind!"

Whatever Majin Buu may have wanted to say in response to Vegeta was cut off as Vegeta summoned even more ki and then proceeded to release it with a piercing, continous battle cry. Buu's eyes widened, parts of his pink body proceeding to fade into nothingness as Vegeta continued to sacrifice himself.

~0~

Bulma frowned.

Something didn't feel right.

Or rather something felt amiss.

Bulma felt her chest tighten and couldn't help but think the worse. But then again, could this day possibly get any more worse? What could be worse than Vegeta deliberately killing thousands of people right before her and Tarble's eyes?

The blue-haired scientist raked her fingers through her short, blue hair. No matter how hard she racked her brain for answers, she just couldn't get to bottom of why Vegeta did what he did. After all, Bulma would like to think that Vegeta really mellowed out over the years. Could someone that was still evil sleep beside her like he did? Could someone that was still evil have a child with a human?

There was just no way.

Vegeta couldn't have possibly gone back to his evil ways; she refused to believe that.

Vegeta may not have been the nicest person around, but he certainly wasn't evil.

Right?

Bulma bit her lip, attempting to blink back the tears that were forming and threatening to spill out at any moment now. She didn't know how much more of this she could take; she needed answers or her head was going to explode any minute now.

"Mom," Trunks called out lightly.

"Hmm?" Bulma called back distractedly, diverting her blue eyes onto her purple-haired son at her side.

Trunks offered her a big, proud smile, "Goten and I laid out all the Dragon Balls like you said to. Now what do we do?"

Despite how she was feeling on the inside, Bulma couldn't help but smile at her eight year old son. "Now we fix everything, so everything can go back to normal."


	17. Chapter 17

A/N: As always, I thank everyone for their feedback and support; it really keeps me going and motivated to push through!

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coldblue2015: Mwah ha ha! Double update today! I also PM'd you in regards to your review for the previous chapter!

Gamelover41592: It'll get better! I know the last chapter was quite a sad one.

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Chapter 17: Pain and Fusion?

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Goku's sprawled out body twitched in just the slightest of ways, his mouth slightly agape as his broad chest rose and fell in sync with his slow intakes and exhales. It was almost as if his body was unconsciously responding to the events that had just transpired around him without his knowledge. Fortunately, as fate would have it, there just no way to keep the Earth's Hero down and out of commission for long.

Goku's body twitched again, and this time, his eyelids were fluttering for a bit.

Then, they were snapping open.

And they remained that way as everything that transpired today hit him full force.

Goku's eyes widened in alarm as he all but jumped up to his feet. Anxiously, Goku quickly scanned for the ki of his friends and his son. The last thing he remembered was feeling a dip in Raditz's ki and then being knocked out by Vegeta after they had agreed to take Majin Buu down together. Goku frowned. Why didn't Vegeta listen to him? Why did he have to go off on his own?

Now he couldn't feel Vegeta's ki at all.

And he still couldn't feel the Supreme Kai's or Gohan's ki either.

Granted it had been hard to differentiate whether Gohan's and the Supreme Kai's ki were just really weak and a reflection of their banged up condition or dead from their encounter with Majin Buu altogether. After all, there had been too many things going on at the time and it proved to be a difficult task; however, now that things have somewhat settled down compared to earlier...

There was no mistaking it.

Gohan, the Supreme Kai, and Vegeta were all dead.

And he hadn't been present to help any of them.

Goku clenched his fists at the reality of the situation, his head hanging down as he was crushed with overwhelming guilt and self-loathing. Distractedly, attempting to push his emotions away for now, Goku continued checking the ki's of everyone else. It seemed as if Piccolo's, Krillin's, Tarble's and everyone else's ki were pretty much undisturbed and in good condition for the most part.

That was good.

 _Great_ , actually.

There was at least something positive he could cling to.

Then, Goku's brows were furrowing somewhat as he attempted to locate Raditz's ki. Why was it taking so long to find his? Did Raditz get that banged up? Nevertheless, Goku concentrated harder, his eyes darting back and forth behind closed eyes lids; the tall Saiyan was hoping that there wouldn't be yet another name on the list of casualties for today.

And then suddenly, he finally managed to latch onto Raditz's ki; it was pretty weak, but it was definitely his.

Thank Kami.

~0~

Android 18's blonde brows furrowed as she recalled the scene she arrived on.

What would have happened had she arrived a minute later? What would have happened if she hadn't arrived at all? If she just stayed on the Lookout aside Piccolo, Dende, Krillin and the others and hoped for the best? Would Raditz even still be alive? The male was profusely bleeding as is and the blonde couldn't imagine _not_ returning with her husband at all.

Or rather she didn't want to imagine such a thing.

It was already bad enough that Gohan and the Supreme Kai were potentially dead. And unlike Gohan and the Supreme Kai, Vegeta was _definitely_ dead. The smaller Saiyan had all but sacrificed himself for everyone's wellbeing - an act of atonement. Though, even if things had gotten pretty dangerous, it seemed as if they were finally over.

All thanks to Vegeta's final efforts.

Now it was just a matter of healing and dealing with everything that happened. Oddly enough, Android 18 didn't feel at ease or comforted at all by the fact that things were over. Perhaps it was because she knew that Bulma, someone she has admittingly taken a liking to, lost her lover and wasn't even aware of it. Bulma had been so heartbroken and near destroyed earlier, how could she crush Bulma's heart even more by telling her that Vegeta wouldn't be returning back to her?

The blonde exhaled soundlessly, remaining lost in her thoughts.

What an eventful day.

At this point, 18 just wanted it to be over, already.

"Hiya, 18!"

The blonde bombshell near startled as it was clear she hadn't expected to see Goku at all.

Or at least not at the moment.

18's eyes widened further, dismissing her thoughts for the time-being, "Goku?"

Goku offered the blonde a light smile despite his slightly bloodied and beat up condition, "Boy am I glad to see that Raditz is okay, at least. I'm sure you already know already, but Gohan, the Supreme Kai, and Vegeta are all dead."

At the news, the blonde felt her heart drop. "Gohan...is dead?"

Potentially dead and dead were two different things and whilst she had never been good with hoping for the best, she had genuinely hoped that Gohan had managed to survive somehow. He was her nephew, after all, and she didn't want any harm to come to those she loved. But then again, what was her pain compared to that of her friends in this situation?

At the end of the day, Bulma lost her husband and Chi-Chi lost her child.

Sure, she had a husband and children of her own, but her husband and children were still alive and well. Therefore she couldn't fully sympathize with either of the two women. And truthfully, she never really like Vegeta much and, though she found somewhat of a newfound respect for him after his latest actions today, she didn't feel much towards his death. Unlike Vegeta however, she _did_ feel something towards Gohan's death even if he wasn't her child.

How could she not feel anything towards his death when she watched him grow up along side Raditz?

"Bulma and Chi-Chi are going to be devastated." 18 managed to get out after a bout of silence.

"I know," Goku finally answered after a while. "But if only I would have been there for all of them, this wouldn't have happened. Then I wouldn't have to deliver such heartbreaking news to either of them. Furthermore, I must admit that I'm also worried about how Tarble and the kids, Goten and Trunks, will take everything."

~0~

"This isn't good," Piccolo managed to get out despite his disbelief.

"What isn't good?" Krillin asked curiously.

The former monk had all but pulled himself away from the others a bit to see how Tarble was holding up and thought to check back in to see what was happening. Hopefully, he was coming back to good news.

After today, he deserved that much at least.

Piccolo's eyes diverted off of what was taking place down below them and onto Krillin's black eyes. "Where's Tarble?"

Krillin looked slightly taken aback, a brow cocked upwards. After all, what did Tarble have to do with anything? Nevertheless, the former monk answered the tall Namekian. "Tarble's fine. He's in one of the rooms. Is uh...something wrong?"

Inwardly, Krillin cursed himself for asking such a question, but he needed to know. After all, he had every right to know whether or not he should be freaking out or not.

"Yes," Piccolo finally answered. "Horribly wrong. I would say that things couldn't get any worse, but I'm more than certain that it can at this rate."

Krillin's eyes widened, all but gulping at the revelation. "Please tell me you're kidding."

Piccolo released a scoff of which happened to be a reasonable mix of irritation and frustration. "Even if I was joking, do you seriously think that _this_ is something I would joke about?!"

The former monk had been taken slightly aback by Piccolo's sudden change in demeanor. After all, Piccolo was always one to be calm and collected no matter what the situation was for the most part. Piccolo was arguably the brains out of the group and if something was gnawing away at Piccolo and enough to shake _him_ up, then it was definitely serious.

Krillin broke out of his thoughts just in time to see Piccolo release a silent exhale, presumably in an attempt to get a grip on himself. Once Piccolo managed to accomplish this feat, he was quickly speaking again, "Gohan and the Supreme Kai are definitely dead, Krillin. I can't sense their ki at all. In addition, as if that's not bad enough, Vegeta sacrificed himself against Buu but it was in vain; Majin Buu is down there regenerating now as we speak."

Krillin felt his heart drop, his widened eyes diverting over to Mr. Popo and Dende as if to confirm whether or not Piccolo was telling the truth. Unfortunately, the grim looks on their faces told it all.

For a moment, Krillin thought he lost all ability to speak and summon words, his throat suddenly going dry; it near hurt to swallow. Heck, the former monk couldn't even summon the strength to look down and confirm that his body was very much trembling. Finally, however, the male seemed to managed - though his fear was still very much apparent in his black eyes.

"So you're saying that Majin Buu is still on the loose and we're going to be losing way more than just Gohan, Vegeta, and the Supreme Kai?"

"Basically," Piccolo confirmed, before continuing moments later. "It would seem that the only good news is that Goku is alive and should be here any minute now with 18 and Raditz."

"Then there's still a chance?" Krillin dared to sum up hopefully.

"Perhaps."

And before the conversation could continue any further, just as Piccolo stated, Goku had appeared before them all courtesy of his Instant Transmission; the spiky-haired Saiyan had both an unconscious Raditz and Android 18 with him.

"Goku!" Krillin greeted in relief, unable to stop the smile that graced his features.

Dende and Piccolo both seemed to share in his relief, but Krillin was the only one of the four to run towards the spiky-haired male as Mr. Popo, Dende, and Piccolo seemed just fine with walking.

Goku greeted everyone with a grin, "What's up, everyone?"

"Apparently a lot," Piccolo remarked, his eyes diverting onto Raditz's form. The male's clothes were utterly tattered, his hair was in disarray, and he was covered head to toe with bleeding, open wounds. Piccolo diverted his eyes onto Dende, though it seemed as if words weren't needed as Dende was already making his way towards the passed out Saiyan.

"Tell me about it," The spiky-haired male agreed, laying Raditz down so that Dende could heal him. Out of the corner of his eyes, Goku noted that 18 was quick to kneel down besides his older brother.

"So," Piccolo begun, watching as Goku's eyes flickered onto his, "What now, Goku? Do you have some sort of plan?"

"Well," Goku started, scratching his head with a hand. "I did have something in mind, but I'm not too sure if it's going to work anymore if we're being honest here."

Piccolo and Mr. Popo shared a glance, before the latter was opening his mouth. "Well, I daresay let's hear it. We may be able to work something out, after all."

Goku seemed encouraged by said words, taking a seat on the staircase near by and proceeding to explain what it was he had in mind. "Well, to be frank, I picked up this technique in the Other World. It's called the Metamoran Fusion."

Piccolo blinked. "Metamoran?"

"That's right," Goku clarified. "Basically, it's where two individuals that have the same build and around the same power fuse together to achieve a higher state in energy and power. In other words, while I can't defeat Majin Buu alone, if Vegeta or Gohan was alive, we could fuse together and then Buu wouldn't stand a chance against."

Dende's eyes widened in realization. "Then it's kind've like how Nail and Piccolo fused together back on Planet Namek right?"

"Or," Mr. Popo butt in, with a hand cupping his chin, "how Piccolo and Kami fused together back when Cell was a threat."

"Well," Goku drawled out with a cocked brow. "Not quite. I mean I guess the overall goal is the same, but it does have its differences. For instance, this fusion is a bit selective since it has to be with someone that have the same energy and same build. Also, this fusion is temporary and not quite permanent; it lasts for about thirty minutes if I'm not mistaken. And, lastly, the way it's done kind've mirrors dancing in a way."

Krillin cocked a brow. As much as he cherished Goku as his friend, he had to say that he was pretty doubtful of this method Goku was relaying to them. "Did you just say...dancing?"

Goku cracked a light smile. "Yeah, in a way. But like I said earlier, the most important part is the end result. I'm confident that Majin Buu wouldn't stand a chance if I used it with Gohan or Vegeta."

"I think I get it now," Piccolo stated after a bout of silence. "It's different alright, but that does sound quite advantageous and powerful."

"Exactly," Goku agreed.

Meanwhile, Raditz was finally sitting up, having finished being healed by Dende. He haven't heard the whole the conversation, but he at least caught the tail end of it. In other words, there was still a chance, they just didn't have the people to put said chance into action. The bulky Saiyan remained seated on his backside, eyes diverting onto his younger brother. "So all in all, since this fusion of yours is rather selective, you and I wouldn't be able to fuse because of our size differences?"

Goku frowned. "So it seems - which is quite a bummer given that we're pretty much around the same power level. Plus I wouldn't have to lower my power level too much if you and I were to fuse."

"Then," Raditz began slowly, a slow smirk spreading as he pieced two and two together. "You've achieved SSJ3?"

Goku looked slightly taken aback by the question and Raditz elaborated further. "You just said that you wouldn't have to lower your power level too much with me. And given that I went SSJ3 against Majin Buu, I know you're aware that I achieved that state too. In other words, you made that statement taking it into consideration that I ascended to SSJ3."

Goku's features eased into a light smirk. "Yeah, you're right. I can."

Raditz's smirked matched that of his brother's. "I'm not surprised, but I do have a question."

Goku tilted his head slightly. "And what's that?"

"I'm only able to maintain my SSJ3 form for thirty minutes. Is it the same for you, Kakarot?"

"Nah," Goku dismissed easily. "I'm able to uphold mine until I run out of energy. Though, I'm sure if I was to go into SSJ3 here in this world, it'd probably take much longer for me to do so and I wouldn't be able to maintain that form for long."

"That makes sense," Piccolo reasoned aloud. "After all, you've only really gone into that form in the Other World."

Goku hummed his agreement and Mr. Popo, whom had been usually silent for a while, spoke up. "Say," the male began curiously, "Aren't Goten and Trunks around the same build?"

Goku and Krillin shared a glance at the suggestion, eyes lighting up in realization, but 18 was all but butting in before the conversation could continue further. "No."

And while Krillin, Dende, and Mr. Popo dared not to question 18's reasoning, Goku seemed to have no issue with doing so, cocking a brow as he regarded his blonde sister in law. "What? Why not?"

18 narrowed her eyes, a hand resting on her hip. "What do you mean 'why not?'? Goten and Trunks are _kids_ , Goku. Are you trying to lose another child because I'm not trying to lose another nephew."

18's words stuck a cord within the taller Saiyan, one of which caused the male to fall silent for a bit.

Then, Goku was releasing a sigh. "I know that they're kids, but Raditz and Piccolo would be able to help them; it's not like they'd be fighting alone. I mean the most I can do is teach them since I have to eventually go back to Other World, but if I didn't have to, I'd be fighting alongside them too, of course."

"You're missing the point." 18 argued, her icy eyes narrowing even more. "Plus they can only transform into Super Saiyans. Would it really be beneficial for kids to go up against a monster that can leave Raditz half-dead?"

"As much as I hate to admit it," Piccolo butted in, "18's right, Goku. At the end of the day, they're still kids. Plus Majin Buu ended up easily regenerating against Vegeta's self destruct and he was a SS2."

Raditz's, Goku's and 18's eyes widened at the news; however, Raditz was the first to respond. Granted, they pieced together that Majin Buu had survived given that Goku had been discussing fusion as well as the fact that his ki was still around, but to learn that Majin Buu _easily_ regenerated afterwards?

That was a whole different story.

"Then, Vegeta died for nothing." Raditz summed up.

"Basically." Piccolo responded regretfully.

And then once more the group had fallen silent.

"Well, hey," Krillin interjected thoughtfully, "You and Zangya are the same build, right 18?"

Goku's eyes beamed. "Hey! That's a good idea! I mean if I taught the boys to fuse, it'd probably take about a week, but if 18 and Zangya were to do it, then maybe it wouldn't take as long!"

"Yeah," Raditz agreed thoughtfully, before further elaborating his opinion on the matter, "Plus 18 and Zangya have plenty fight and battle experience unlike Goten and Trunks, but there's just one problem - "

" - I rather fuse with my twin brother." 18 bit out icily. "There's _no way_ I'll fuse with her."

Raditz shot her an amused expression before diverting his attention back onto the others. "Well, then there's _two_ problems."

Goku pouted, "Aw c'mon, Raditz! What problem could you possibly have?"

Raditz cocked a brow. "I don't want my woman, the mother of my kids, fighting that thing. Hell, if I considered self-destructing against that thing of a monster, then there's no way I'd want the kids or my wife fighting that thing."

"I understand your concerns," Piccolo begun, "But something's got to give here."

"Piccolo's right." Goku agreed. "So it looks like either the kids fuse, or Zangya and 18 fuse."

Then Goku tilted his head to the side as if considering something more. "Unless of course, you really would prefer to fuse with 17."

"Hell no," Raditz interjected. "There's no way I want my wife fusing with her brother. Nothing against 17 here, but how the _hell_ would I ever get that image out of my damn head?"

Despite the situation, Krillin couldn't help but chuckle and Raditz was quick to silence him with a glare.

Krillin halted immediately, eyes wide as he gulped. "S-Sorry."

Raditz's scoffed, obviously irritated and the blonde Android found herself unable to hold in her own short laugh.

And then Goku found himself laughing as well.

Raditz 'tsked', flushing in slight embarrassment.

And while Piccolo admitted that it was nice to have a break from the tension, they needed to figure something out immediately. Naturally, the Namekian relayed just that to the others.

"Well then," Piccolo interrupted. "What's it going to be? Let's take a vote here and now; and let's not forget that 18 has unlimited supply of energy in the process."


	18. Chapter 18

A/N: The support and feedback is much appreciated! Thanks!

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coldblue2015: In the process of PM'ing you!

Guest: Yeah, definitely! As you can see, I'm going for something different here.

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Next chapter will feature more Bulma!

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Chapter 18: The Pain Of Reality

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"So," Piccolo stated after a bout of silence, lowering his raised hand and watching as the others did the same, "looks like that settles everything; everyone seems to want 18 and Zangya to fuse."

"Well," Krillin drawled out nervously, watching as Raditz all but grumpily dismissed himself out of sight after voting, "everyone except Raditz, of course."

If Raditz heard Krillin's comment, then he didn't show it and simply paid Krillin's words no mind. Instead, the male offered his huge back to the others and headed to the rooming in the back and it seemed as if 18, whose cool eyes trailed him the whole way, debated on whether or not to follow him for a bit.

Ultimately, she decided to follow after Raditz - of which just left Goku, Dende, Krillin, Piccolo, and Mr. Popo to further discuss where they would go from here.

"Well," Dende interjected empathetically, "if you look at it from Raditz's perspective, I can actually understand why he'd be upset. I mean he did fight Majin Buu firsthand and barely survived in the end."

"Naturally," Piccolo agreed, "but at the end of the day, this needs to happen; otherwise, we'll _all_ die and there will be nothing left of the Earth. I'm sure Raditz is aware of this and that's why he still voted despite not wanting either of the two options."

"Piccolo's right," Goku agreed. "Vegeta's dead, Gohan's dead, the Supreme Kai is dead and well - " the Saiyan gestured to the halo atop of his head with a slight pout - "and I'm technically still dead too. In other words, this fusion technique is all we have at the moment and Raditz knows that. Let's just give him sometime to soak everything in."

"That seems to be the best thing to do for now," Mr. Popo agreed.

Krillin nodded. "Yeah, but we don't have too long to mull over things given the situation, right? I mean earlier, when Raditz wanted us to get everyone to the Lookout when Piccolo, Tarble, and I left Buu to him... Bulma and everyone else were collecting the Dragon balls at the time so we decided that it wouldn't hurt for them to do that at least. Plus, taking everything into consideration, we - "

Goku's eyes widened, all but jumping up to his feet and cutting his smaller friend off. " - Wait, _what_?"

Krillin cocked a brow, taken aback by Goku's sudden change in demeanor. "Uh...what's the matter, buddy?"

Goku's eyes had an uncharacteristic serious air to them, the male putting two fingers to his head. "We shouldn't make any wishes just yet. I'm sure that Bulma wants to wish back the people that Vegeta killed in the tournament, but I have a strong intuition that we should cherish our wishes for now. Plus, would it really do those people any justice to wish them back just to be killed again?"

Piccolo's eyes widened, seemingly in agreement with Goku. "That's true. Of course, at the time, there was no harm in collecting the Dragon balls and making that wish, but things have changed since then. Not to mention that Majin Buu is still on the loose and we'd have to wait a year to make a wish with the Dragon balls again if all the wishes are used."

And on cue, the sky noticeably darkened - as if speaking about the Dragon balls themselves summoned such an action. Notably, Goku visibly panicked, as the male had been trying to lock on to Bulma's ki in order to stop her, but couldn't seem to do that much. The Saiyan male made a short noise of frustration, his brows furrowing in the process. "It's so small...I'm having trouble finding it!"

"Oh, no!" Krillin panicked. "At this rate, we really will be doomed!"

"Krillin," Piccolo called out with a frown, "calm down. This is nothing to panic about. After all, even if Bulma does make that wish, I'm sure there has to be some sort of rule or loophole that can allow us to make the remaining wishes if we stop her in time."

"Actually," Dende intervened, "Piccolo's right. If Bulma makes one wish, then we don't necessarily have to wait a full year; we'd just have to wait four months."

"Alright!" Krillin cheered, excitedly whipping his head back in the direction of Goku, "You hear that Goku?"

The male said nothing in response as he was still concentrating, though it was clear he heard the news when the corner of his lips tugged upwards in a light smile. Then, his eyes snapped open after a while, "Found it!"

~0~

"Raditz?" 18 called out with a cocked brow, trekking in behind her husband.

By the time she located him, as she did wait a bit before following after him, he was sitting down on the edge of the bed with his head in his hands. The blonde's eyes widened at the sight, ultimately falling quiet as she has never seen her husband like this before. After all, Raditz had comforted her plenty of times, yet here she was unable to comfort him.

At least that was what it felt like.

Silence.

Then the long-haired male was exhaling.

"They're all dead because of me."

18's eyes widened, opening her mouth to protest. "What? Why would you - "

" - Because it's the _truth_ , Lazuli! I couldn't protect the Supreme Kai and I couldn't even protect my own nephew; I let him die before my eyes again! I watched him die back on Planet Namek and I watched him die again with Majin Buu. I spent seven years training and I still failed him. How the hell am I supposed to face Goten and Trunks?! How can I possibly explain to them that I was there and that I still couldn't save him?! How can I face Chi-Chi or the twins after this?!"

18 said nothing and Raditz continued his rant, "What makes it worse is that I couldn't even avenge Gohan; my self-destruct plans were thwarted and I couldn't even help out Vegeta afterwards. I was useless on the battlefield just like when I was a child."

The bulky Saiyan sneered, as if disgusted with himself. "In the end, I had to be saved by the woman I'm supposed to be protecting."

"Don't you think you're being too hard on yourself? It's not like you killed them, Raditz. Obviously, that was Majin Buu's doing."

Raditz's eyes shifted onto his wife. "That's not the point, Lazuli; I was there and I literally did nothing. And now, with Kakarot mentioning that Fusion technique and all, there's a possibility that my wife will have to fight that thing. If only I was stronger or if only I wasn't as bulky, then perhaps I could fuse with Kakarot myself. Then there'd be no need for you and Zangya to fuse. It's bad enough that Goten and Trunks were even considered."

The blonde bombshell trekked towards her husband, sitting down beside him. "I know how you feel."

Raditz's eyes widened, eyes diverting onto the blonde beside him. When she had her husband's full attention, 18 quickly elaborated. "I've always blamed myself for 17 and I being turned into Androids and I still blame myself from time to time for not being able to protect 17 from Cell. Before then, 17 and I had always been together and when one of us was around, then the other was never too far away."

18's icy blue eyes lowered slightly, "Then he got absorbed right before my eyes. Being without 17 afterwards was hard and something I wasn't used to." She turned her head to face her husband, "Maybe it was hypocritical of me to say that you were being too hard on yourself when I've been down that road plenty of times myself; I'm sorry."

Raditz shot his wife an incredulous look. "Why are you apologizing? If anything I should be apologizing for yelling at you earlier and for failing everyone." The male sat up slightly, taking in his hands before clenching them into fists. "I'm going to get stronger, Lazuli."

Though before 18 could respond and ask him what he had in mind, a shrill cry was ringing out.

Raditz and 18's eyes widened in alarm, the couple quickly heading to the source of the interruption. For some reason, despite the two of them having not going off too far from the others, it seemed to take longer than it should have. Finally, 18 and Raditz rejoined the others to see what was going on; though, with everyone's grim expressions, there was no need to ask.

It was written all over everyone's faces.

Raditz wasn't sure what exactly was discussed after he took off, but given the current atmosphere, it didn't take long to piece everything together; Kakarot had informed everyone that Gohan and Vegeta were dead.

And it was Chi-Chi that screamed.

The raven-haired woman was on her knees, openly wailing and grieving the loss of her eldest son whilst Bulma and Videl looked utterly lost and torn.

Trunks, Goten, and the twins were wailing as well and Tarble was as still as a statue, fists clenched at either of his sides. He didn't know what to think, after all. He never imagined that the last image he'd have of his brother would be Vegeta killing those people at the tournament and then taking on Goku afterwards as if nothing had happened. Maybe if he hadn't spent so much time moping around afterwards, he would've actually been able to do something.

Tarble was overwhelmed with guilt.

"I'm sorry," Goku suddenly apologized.

Though, his apology seemed to fall on deaf ears.

Out of the corner of his eyes, Raditz noted that his blonde wife quickly went to tend to Marise and Taro but couldn't find it within him to move.

Why was that?

He had expected such an reaction out of everyone and expected to see Chi-Chi and Bulma and many others heartbroken, but it was as if seeing it and expecting it were two different things.

"I just don't understand," Videl muttered with wide eyes. It would seem that she was able to regain some of her composure - enough to speak at least. Then her purple eyes were flickering off of the white floors of which loitered the Lookout and flickering onto Goku's, "How could Gohan be dead? It just doesn't make any sense!"

Before the short-haired female knew any better, she was briskly trekking towards the dead Saiyan.

Her eyes were teary and her fists were clenched.

"You really expect me to believe that Gohan's dead?"

"Kakarot isn't lying," Raditz intervened, cutting off Videl's path to a silent Goku. "And he isn't the one to take your anger out on. As much as I hate to say it, Gohan and the Supreme Kai were _killed_ by Majin Buu and Vegeta sacrificed himself in an attempt to kill Buu."

Videl was still in denial it seemed, shaking her head from side-to-side. "But that's exactly what Goku said as well as something about not being able to feel their ki, but there's still a chance, isn't there? I refuse to believe that Gohan's dead! Did you see an actual body or have some sort of tangible proof?"

"Even if you refuse to believe it, that won't change the fact that it's true; I bore witness to Gohan's death myself."

His words were harsh.

Videl blinked back the tears, her brows furrowing angrily. "You witnessed it and yet you did nothing to stop it?"

However, Videl's words were harsher.

Meanwhile, Zangya, whom had been mostly silent for the most part, spoke for the first time since hearing everything. The orange-haired beauty had all but narrowed her eyes accusingly, "You say that as if _you_ could have stopped it from happening."

Videl looked taken aback, her brows furrowing. " _What?_ You don't know what I could have done!"

Zangya was quick to respond, her blue eyes narrowing harshly, "Really? That's rich coming from someone that's still barely able to fly."

Videl shut up immediately and a certain Namekian was quickly butting in, "Alright, that's enough from the both of you! This isn't the time to be pointing fingers at anyone!"

"Piccolo's right." Goku agreed, placing a hand on Raditz's broad shoulder and squeezing it lightly in a gesture of comfort. "If anything, the point of the matter is that Majin Buu is still loose and none of us are safe right now; Majin Buu has already taken those we care about and love and he has to be stopped at all costs before we lose any more of our loved ones."

"But how are we supposed to do that?" Yamcha inquired. "Majin Buu has killed both Gohan and Vegeta. Not to mention that you're technically still dead Goku. And if that isn't bad enough, Raditz is supposedly near your level, but even he wasn't able to take that thing down."

From beside the male, Susan Marie clenched his hand worriedly and Yamcha squeezed it back distractedly before he continued, "Is there really any hope for us at all?"

"Of course there is," Goku answered quickly. "The others and I were discussing what to do before bringing everyone here and we've decided that 18 and Zangya can perform the Metamoran fusion. They're both around the same build and same power and there's no way that Majin Buu can stand against the combination of their power."

"And just as an extra precaution," Piccolo butted in, "we're also going to teach Goten and Trunks as well. After all, we've clearly learned that having multiple plans against Majin Buu is needed."

Raditz's eyes widened at this, having not been aware of this modification into the plan; however, before he could comment, Bulma and Chi-Chi were already a step a head.

"What?" Chi-Chi asked incredulously, "You two can't be serious! I'm not allowing another one of my little boys to go out there and fight only to be killed! Goten's seven years old!"

"Chi-Chi's right," Bulma was quick to back up the younger woman, wiping away her tears with the back of her hands in the process, "There's no way I'm allowing Trunks to fight! _What,_ are you going to send Marise and Taro out there to fight too if we lose Trunks and Goten?"

"Now wait just a minute, ladies," Master Roshi intervened, trekking forwards a bit as he raked a hand through his white beard. "Let's at least see where Goku is going with this."

Both ladies reluctantly piped down.

Then, Goku and Piccolo shared a glance, before Goku was speaking again. "I know that's the last thing you two want to hear given everything that's happened today, but if we don't have some sort of plan all of Earth will be done for. And it won't stop there."

Bulma's glare lightened up slightly, exhaling afterwards as she placed a hand on her head. "This is just way too much to take in."

"Technically," Tarble began, his hand interlaced with Ranfan's, "Saiyans were purging planets at the age of four. All the more, we Saiyans belong to that of a warrior race and it's not out of the ordinary for kids to fight. Though I must say, despite knowing this, I don't think Goten and Trunks should fight. Goten, Trunks, Marise, and Taro are all strong for half-Saiyans, but they are not accustomed to the ways of their heritage. They were brought up in a less intense environment compared to that on Planet Vegeta. And truthfully speaking, I don't want to lose my nephew along with losing my older brother if possible."

"Guys," Goku tried again, "I understand everything you're saying. Android 18 and Raditz were just as against Goten and Trunks fighting as well, but we need all the help we can get to take this thing down - for the sake of our home and the universe."

Piccolo gave a curt nod, speaking once more, "By no means are we going to send the boys in blindly; Goku and I will use Goku's remaining time here on Earth to get the boys prepared and will train them to their best of abilities given the time allotted."

"While I must say I'm surprised Kakarot and Piccolo discussed Trunks and Goten fighting in addition to 18 and Zangya," Raditz cut in, "I do agree the bigger picture here is taking down Majin Buu."

Bulma's eyes widened. "What? Raditz? What are you saying?"

Raditz held up a hand, "Don't get me wrong. I don't want 18 fighting nor the kids, but either way we should explore our options and be prepared for the worst. Furthermore, I decided that I'm going to train in the Time Chamber again; at most, I can only uphold my SSJ3 form for thirty minutes and while I don't plan on failing a second time, it's clear Buu can't be beaten alone. Maybe when I get out, Kakarot and I can take on Majin Buu together - assuming that the kids are taught in an sufficient amount of time. I mean, just because Kakarot and I can't fuse together, doesn't mean we can't fight together."

Raditz's eyes flickered onto Goku's and Piccolo's before they or anyone else could respond, "I'm not asking you two to stop considering anything; it seems like your minds are made up on the matter and at the end of the day, this situation is far too grand to be decided on just feelings and opinions alone. What I am asking however, is for you two not to rule me out of the picture just yet. Like I mentioned earlier, I'm going to train in the Time Chamber and focus on maintaining my SSJ3 form longer."

Tarble gently released Ranfan's hand and trekked forwards a bit. "Then while Piccolo and Goku train Trunks and Goten, I ask that you allow me to train with you; I haven't been much help and I want to change that as well as avenge my older brother. I mean in the event that Goku and Piccolo aren't quite finished training with Trunks and Goten when you're done training, then I can at least support you against Majin Buu until they're finished training them."

Ranfan's eyes widened. "Wait, Tarble, but - "

" - Alright." Raditz agreed. "Then Tarble and I will train in the Time Chamber while Kakarot and Piccolo presumably teach the fusion dance to 18, Zangya, Trunks and Goten."

Piccolo nodded. "Then after we teach everyone how to do it, Goku and I will specifically train Trunks and Goten and work on getting them stronger in the event that things don't go as planned with you and Tarble. Once you and Tarble are finished in the Time Chamber, then we can discuss anything more."

"Sounds like a plan." Raditz agreed. "Then let's seriously hope that 18, Zangya and the kids don't have to resort to fusing; but like I said earlier, I don't plan on failing this time."

Tarble nodded. "Neither do I."

Meanwhile, Marise was blinking back her tears as she soaked everything in, sparing a glance in her twin's direction. Not only did they lose Gohan, but both of her parent's were going to be fighting against Majin Buu? And they were going to be prepping Goten and Trunks to fight as well? What about what her dad said earlier? About not failing again? Was he referring to when Gohan and Vegeta were killed?

Marise sniffled, noting with a quick glance around that her mother was now comforting Chi-Chi whilst her father was comforting Bulma. As for Taro, though he was quiet, it was clear that her twin brother was trying hard to remain tough.

Her icy blue eyes flickered onto Goten, noting that the male was standing aside Trunks before her uncle Goku and uncle Piccolo.

They were most likely discussing everything.

"Taro," Marise whispered, diverting her attention back onto her identical twin, "I'm scared. Aunt Chi-Chi said that Papa and uncle Goku were the strongest in the world, but if Papa didn't win the first time then - "

Taro narrowed his black teary eyes. Though it was clear he was trying to be tough. " - Don't be silly, Marise."

Marise frowned, "But I'm not, Taro! I was just - "

" - I don't care!" Taro interrupted, turning his back on her. "I don't want to talk about this anymore, got it?"

Marise narrowed her icy eyes, opening her mouth to give him a piece of her mind; however, she promptly stopped upon noting that Taro's shoulders were shaking as well as the faint sound of sniffling.

It would seem that he was just as terrified as her.

"Taro," Marise muttered sadly, grasping his hand with one of hers. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay," Taro responded back weakly.

~0~

"Hey," 18 addressed calmly, trekking towards Zangya with her hands coolly tucked in either of her pockets.

The orange-haired beauty was currently standing near the edge of the Lookout, a hand resting on her hip. For a moment, it seemed as if she was going to ignore 18, but she seemed to decide against it.

"Do I really have to fuse with _you_?"

18 remained stoic, "Not unless you're fine with Goten and Trunks fighting."

Zangya said nothing for a bit; then, she was sighing soundlessly. After all, she lived in the Briefs household for quite sometime now and had even moved out when things with 17 seemed to be going well. Though, seeing as that didn't exactly work out, they both ended up moving back to their respective, original homes after a while. All in all, long story short, she was more than grateful to Gohan and Bulma at the end of the day.

And while it was Gohan that spared her life against Bojack, it was Bulma that took her in her home.

Needless to say, Goten and Trunks were important to Gohan and Bulma and she couldn't repay them by allowing Trunks and Goten to fight. Even if it was a back-up plan and a last ditch effort to win so to speak.

Finally, after a pregnant pause, Zangya was running a hand through her luscious curls with a taunting smirk, "Then if we do have to fuse, I hope we at least keep _my_ looks. I mean I'm not the one that gave birth to _two_ kids."

Android 18's blonde brows twitched slightly, finding herself somewhat irritated with the woman before her; nonetheless, 18 was suddenly smirking. "You're right; I did give birth to two kids. Frankly, if it had been the other way around and it was you instead, you clearly wouldn't have maintained your shape."

Zangya's eyes widened at the insult and Master Roshi, accompanied by Oolong of course, daringly trekked towards the two women. "Now, now," Master Roshi began as he trekked in between the two, "if we're going to fight here, we should at least start by losing some articles of clothing here and there." Master Roshi perversely grinned before continuing, "You know, that way you're not too stiff."

Oolong could barely hold in his perverse laughter, sneakily wriggling his eyebrows. "Aaa! I get it Roshi! The less restricted they are, the more other things are free to move ar - "

18 had all but grasped Oolong by his the scruff of his shirt. " - Don't you dare finish that sentence, you creep."

Oolong wisely shut up, eyes wide with fear; however, Master Roshi wasn't quite done with taking advantage of the situation just yet. The older man had all but placed either of his hands on 18's forearm. "Aw, c'mon, sweetheart. Let's not get so - " Master Roshi groped one of 18's breasts with the hand closest to her chest -" _handsy_."

18's eyes widened, an embarrassed blush coating her features.

Was he...groping her?

18 was quickly snapping out of her thoughts upon feeling him give her breast a squeeze and she released a noise of annoyance as she shamelessly slammed her elbow down atop his head. "Keep your hands to yourself, _Creep_!"

Zangya, on the other hand, chuckled at the interaction. "You have a husband yet you're still a prude? How does that work?"

18 'tsked', storming away and leaving them behind.

She was in no mood to put up with either of them anymore.


	19. Chapter 19

A/N: Thanks for all of the continued support/feedback, guys and gals!

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Gamelover41592: Thank you so much! And I'm just really trying to get as many chapters out as I can right now!

coldblue2015: Thanks for the detailed review! I'm in the process of PM'ing you in regards to it!

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Next chapter will feature Vegeta!

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Chapter 19: Training Commences! Bulma's Muse!

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The nerve of Zanya and the _audacity_ of that old pervert.

Android 18 released a huff of irritation, trekking towards her husband.

It would seem as if her husband was still conversing with Goku, Piccolo, and Krillin; of course, she was far from surprised.

"There you are!" Krillin greeted with a smile, "So, how'd it go with Zangya? Did she agree to fuse with you?"

The irritated blonde diverted her icy eyes onto the shorter male. "How do you think it went?"

Krillin sweat dropped, sharing a confused glance with the others. Why was he the only one on the receiving end of everyone's frustration today? He was the one that was turned into stone by _spit_ , after all. "I'm guessing it didn't go...well?"

The blonde cut her eyes, diverting them onto her husband's eyes instead. She was in a sour mood altogether now. "Would it really bother you that much if I fused with my twin? It's just temporary, right? So why does it matter?"

The long-haired Saiyan was unaffected by Android 18's seemingly bad attitude, cocking a brow. "Yes, it would bother me. I told you earlier that I didn't want the image in my head."

Goku, whom had been listening on in silence, cocked a brow as well. "I mean, if you really want my honest opinion here," The taller Saiyan began slowly, "18 and 17 do have an unlimited supply of energy and they're already pretty much in tune with each other."

And while Piccolo wisely minded his own business, Goku didn't seem to read the situation too well. Needless to say, Raditz was quick to respond, "I don't want your opinion, Kakarot."

Then before his younger brother could say anything more on the matter, Raditz was diverting his attention back onto his wife. "And besides," the male continued, "let's say you did fuse with 17, there's no way in hell I'm letting you fly home by yourself to go get him and bring him back here; I'd have to go with you. Not to mention, the Son household is quite far from the Lookout, so that would cut into time and put everything slightly behind schedule just to get there. You didn't forget that you and 17 don't exactly have a ki signature, did you? All in all, it wouldn't exactly be a quick trip since I wouldn't be able to use my Instant Transmission to get you there."

18 was quick to respond, "Perhaps that is true, but it's not like 17 doesn't have a phone at hand." The blonde easily debunked. "Plus," she tacked on after some thought, "I wouldn't have to leave and he could come here. It's not like Majin Buu would be able to sense his ki."

Raditz could tell that his wife wasn't going to let this go anytime soon, so he quickly took a different method of approach. "Either way, it'd be an issue of time, 18; I know you and Zangya aren't on the best of terms, but Zangya is already here and as long as I train and lengthen my SSJ3 form, you may not even end up fusing anyway."

18 narrowed her eyes, but didn't comment any more on the matter.

Either he really didn't want her to fuse with her twin, or he had actually taken everything into account; all in all, he did make valid points.

~0~

Kibito grasped his head, as if trying to make sense of things. After all, shouldn't he be...dead? He _vividly_ remembered being killed by Dabura. How could he forget something like that? Something so humiliating yet fearsome at the same time? So what in the world was going on here and why was he alive?

Kibito took a look around in silence.

No one was around and he certainly wouldn't get any answers this way.

Kibito tried a different approach, closing his eyes and settling on feeling out the ki within his surroundings. If he was lucky, maybe he could locate the Supreme Kai and then the Supreme Kai could get him caught up to speed on everything that transpired after his death.

Hopefully, he was still alive.

If he wasn't, Kibito would never forgive himself if something happened to the Supreme Kai in his absence. Fortunately, as if the heavens above were in favor of him finding the Supreme Kai, Kibito was finally latching onto something. Instantaneously, Kibito's eyes were snapping wide open upon finding the person he was looking for and even he couldn't stop the relief that flooded his being.

The Supreme Kai's ki was incredibly weak, but he was _alive._

And as long as the Supreme Kai was still alive, Kibito could heal him.

~0~

"What do you think they're talking about now?" Marise inquired curiously, her icy blue eyes taking in her mother, father, Goku and Piccolo seemingly huddled up before diverting back onto their own little circle they formed.

Trunks shot her a weird look. "What else do you think they're talking about? Isn't it obvious? They're probably going over our game plan to take down that thing or something."

Marise ignored the look Trunks sent her, a blonde brow cocked upwards. "But didn't they talk about that earlier with you and Goten?"

Goten answered this time before Trunks could. "They just told us that in the event that we are needed to fight, we need to be prepared."

"Pretty much." Trunks agreed, blue eyes shifting back over to Marise. "Besides, what does it matter what they're talking about? It's not like you can do anything about it, anyway."

Marise's blue eyes widened, "But I just wanted to know."

" _Well_ ," Trunks responded back in annoyance, head down and hands stuffed inside his pockets, "knowing what's going to happen isn't going to do you any good."

Marise's blue eyes became downcast and Goten frowned, quickly coming to the defense of his young cousin, "Trunks! You're not the only one upset and sad here, so stop being mean!"

Trunks made no move to acknowledge Goten's words for a bit, silence taking over the group. And then, Trunks was speaking once more. "I just don't understand how my dad could lose to that thing. My mom said that my dad is a Prince, The Prince of All Saiyans….so how could someone like that lose?"

Goten blinked for a bit, frowning. "I know what you mean. I still don't understand how Gohan was killed by that thing, either." The smaller Saiyan's eyes were all but welling up tears as he dwelled on it. "Gohan's...really gone."

Taro remained silent. After all, he wasn't quite sure what to say in the situation and as usual, he couldn't help but feel somewhat left out. Even though they were all friends, sometimes it seemed like Goten and Trunks had their own thing going while Goten and Marise had their own thing going as well; it was as if he really didn't belong with them at all.

And that was why he always wanted to be a part of whatever it was Goten and Trunks had going on.

"All in all," Trunks began once more, unknowingly knocking Taro out of his light daze, "That thing killed Gohan and my dad and I'm prepared to avenge them - just like uncle Tarble and uncle Raditz." His blue eyes shifted onto Goten's teary eyes, "Heck even aunt 18 is going to fight if push comes to shove, so we can't be the only ones not taking this seriously, Goten."

Goten sniffled, wiping away at his eyes. "I-I know."

The purple-haired Saiyan's stern expression eased lightly at Goten's teary eyes and he sighed, "It just _stinks_ that we weren't even able to follow after them to help. I mean who knows what we could have did or prevented had we went. Maybe my dad and Gohan would have still been alive."

Before the kids could continue conversing any more on the matter, Raditz was trekking towards them. Of course, the kids perked up noticeably upon noting that the larger male was heading towards them and attentively regarded the bigger Saiyan once he came to a stop before them. Then, Raditz was squatting and resting either of his huge arms on his thighs, "Trunks...I'm sorry about your father. Your father died with good intentions."

At Raditz's words, Trunks eyes welled up and Raditz affectionally placed a hand atop of his head, ruffling the purple hair on his head.

Then, Raditz was shifting his eyes onto Goten, Marise, and Taro. "Gohan, too; he also died with good intentions and their attempts will not go in vain."

"Papa," Marise called out lightly, "Are you...about to start training now?"

Raditz offered his blonde-haired daughter a light smile, "Yeah. Tarble and I are about to start training; we shouldn't be in there for long. I just need to perfect my latest form and I'm going to help Tarble get stronger."

Marise and the kids shared a glance; however, none of them said nothing.

Though, Raditz didn't expect them to as he knew that they were worried and probably still trying to wrap their heads around certain things. They were kids after all and they had already lost two people dear to them and something of that nature definitely wasn't something children of their age should be experiencing. Silencing his thoughts, the male gave Goten an affectionate head ruffle as well; the seven year old Saiyan shot him a wide grin in response.

Raditz's smirk widened whilst Marise cocked a smile. The small blonde child was unable to resist throwing her arms around her dad, "Be careful, Papa."

"Of course." Raditz responded lightly, opening his other arm for Taro as he continued embracing Marise with the other.

The boy offered Raditz a small smile, complying to his father's silent gesture.

Afterwards, the bulky male was rising to his feet and trekking towards the Time Chamber. Seeing as everything was pretty much connected together, it didn't him long to reach the door to the Time Chamber and he had to admit that he been mildly surprised to see 18 coolly leaning against the wall near the door. Out of the corner of his eyes, he noted that Tarble, Krillin, Piccolo, and Goku were all patiently waiting on the other side of the entrance.

Presumably to send them off into the Time Chamber.

Goku was the first to address Raditz, giving him a harmless slap on the back with a grin. "Good luck in there!"

"Definitely."

"You've come a long way," Piccolo assured calmly, "so I'm sure you'll be out in no time as you keep that in the back of your mind."

"I will." Raditz promised, eyes shifting over to his wife next. He couldn't help but send her a teasing smirk, "Did you want a hug too, _Princess_?"

At his teasing, 18 blushed lightly and all but diverted her eyes elsewhere, "Idiot."

The male disregarded her insult, trekking towards her anyway, pulling her into a tight hug. At this, 18's flush deepened even more, her heart all but racing against his broad chest. She still wasn't quite used to the open displays of affection and he managed to catch her off guard yet again. Still, the gesture wasn't unappreciated.

Then, just as quick as it happened, it was over just as quick; the male pulling back before she could return the gesture.

At the loss of contact, her heart tugged but she couldn't place why.

This feeling was almost similar to when he kissed her back then before rendering her unconscious before attempting to take Majin Buu on alone. But why? If anything, shouldn't she be at ease? After all, Raditz said so himself that her and Zangya as well as the kids probably wouldn't even have to fuse, so there was technically nothing to worry about right?

18 all but whirled around, "Wait."

Raditz all but halted at the last minute, having been one step away from stepping into the Time Chamber. Attentively, he craned his head in order to be able to regard her better. "Something the matter?"

18 visibly hesitated on speaking what was on her mind. Not to mention that it didn't help that the others were still around either.

Piccolo seemed to pick up on this, "Goku, let's go ahead and round up Goten and Trunks to get things started." Then his eyes diverted onto Krillin, "Will you go get Zangya?

Krillin blinked owlishly for a minute, before quickly snapping out of it upon realizing what was going on. "Sure! Leave it to me!" He turned to Raditz before he did so, "Uh, once again, good luck in there to you and Tarble."

Raditz nodded, watching as the others took off and gave them some privacy. Once they were out of earshot and out of range, he diverted his eyes onto his wife. "Lazuli," he addressed with furrowed brows, "is everything alright?"

18 tucked a blonde strand of hair behind her ear with a finger, "It can wait."

Raditz cocked a brow. "Are you sure? I don't mind."

18 cocked a light smile, placing a light kiss on his lips. "Yeah, I'm sure; don't take too long, okay?"

Raditz offered her a genuine smile, "Alright."

~0~

"Alright!" Goku cheered as he took in the four before him with his hands resting on his hips. Raditz and Tarble were in the Time Chamber and the taller Saiyan had both Krillin and Piccolo on either side of him. Goku hadn't expected Krillin to stick around as well, but the more, the merrier. "Looks like we have everyone here!"

"Looks like it," Zangya agreed indifferently, running a hand through her orange, luscious curls again. The green-skinned beauty was standing aside a certain blonde, whom had her arms folded across her chest.

"Great!" Goku responded with a grin, "So for starters, let me just give a quick summary of the Metamoran fusion! Just in case you haven't caught on from earlier conversations already, it requires two people and they must have the same ki, and the same build. It's something that I picked up in the Other World and the overall result will really play a role in defeating Majin Buu if we end up having to take this route."

"Further, since the fusion is pretty selective and temporary to boot, it's also important to make sure that all of the steps are executed perfectly and the time used whilst fused is managed appropriately. Is everyone with me so far?"

"Yeah!" Trunks and Goten agreed with a nod, whilst 18 and Zangya just listened on in silence.

"Okay, great, so - " Goku spared Krillin a glance, before diverting onto Piccolo instead - "why don't we get an visual representation going? Piccolo will you help me out here?"

Piccolo looked slightly taken aback, "You want _me_ to do a demonstration?"

Goku shrugged, whilst Krillin chuckled behind a hand. "Well, yeah, besides, it'd be better for them to see it while I explain it."

Piccolo sweat dropped. "And...you need me for this? Are you sure?"

"Yup!"

The Namekian exhaled soundlessly; nevertheless he adjusted himself accordingly. "Alright, let's get this over with then."

"That's the spirit!" Krillin egged on, and Piccolo sent him a single glare of which quickly shut him up.

"Anyway," Goku began, "the first thing to do is to stand next to each other and outstretch your arms exactly like this - " Goku outstretched his arms so that they were on the same side and pointing away from his body, a palm facing towards him whilst one faced away - "and make sure your arms remain straight. It's also important to literally mirror each others actions and do it on time."

Once no one said anything and seemed to be following him so far, Goku continued, "FU - " Goku moved inwards towards Piccolo, rotating both arms to the opposite side as he did so. The taller Saiyan came to a halt with his weight shifted on the upper half of his feet and his knees were bent in either direction whilst his heels touched.

"At this step, make sure you're approaching each other with outstretched arms and you're moving exactly three steps over. Afterwards, you say - "SUION" Goku shifted his outstretched arms back onto the side he started them off at; however, his hands were balled into fist whilst he did a quarter turn and pointed his knee towards Piccolo. "Now at this step, notice how both my arms changed and how my knee is pointed in Piccolo's direction."

If Goku noticed the expressions on Trunks and Goten's face, he certainly didn't say anything.

Either way, Goku continued, "Afterwards, you're going to place that leg down and lean in towards the other with outstretched fingers pointed like this - " Goku did exactly as he said, leaning in towards Piccolo - "and then HA! The angle of your legs are important as well as the way your fingers are pointed, okay?"

And whilst, Trunks and Goten were at a loss for words, 18 didn't mind speaking her mind at all, "There's no way I'm doing this."

Goku blinked, completely taken aback. "Why not? Was my explanation bad? Piccolo and I can do it again for you if you like."

Piccolo's eyes bulged at Goku's words. He certainly didn't fault 18 for not wanting to do, but he also didn't want to have to do this again. "I know this is something new - for all of us - but let's just consider the end result here."

Zangya harrumped. "I can do it here, but if blondie here can't then - "

18 snapped her icy eyes onto Zangya's blue ones, " - I didn't say I couldn't do it."

"Then what's the matter?" Zangya taunted, "Are you a little cranky since that _cute_ husband of yours isn't by your side right now?"

18's eyes narrowed. "This would go a lot better if you learned to shut up, don't you think?"

"Hey, hey," Goku interrupted with a frown, "knock it off you two; this will go a lot smoother if we all just get along, okay? So let's just all go through it a few more times together to make sure you get used to doing the form. Then we can start practicing with power levels and making sure they're evenly matched."

"Let's just get this over with already." Piccolo suggested grumpily, after all Krillin's none-too-discreet amusement towards him wasn't it making it any better.

~0~

"Everything is completely...white." Tarble noted with wide eyes and a slightly agape mouth as they trekked further in.

"Yeah," Raditz agreed calmly, "But after a few days, you won't even notice that much."

"Is that so?" Tarble inquired curiously. "I know before we went inside the Time Chamber, Piccolo was telling me that the conditions can get pretty extreme in here from time to time."

"That's not the only thing seeing as the time is completely different in here as well." Raditz informed. "A day outside is a year worth's of time in here, but we shouldn't need a full year."

Tarble looked mildly surprised. "You really don't think so?"

Raditz shot Tarble an incredulous look, "Of course not. I just need to maintain my SSJ3 form longer and we're going to work on helping you obtain SSJ2."

Though Tarble understood Raditz's words, he wasn't entirely convinced, "It's just...I'm not exactly a warrior like Vegeta, so I guess I still feel like I don't really have a knack for these types of things at all."

Raditz offered the male a light smirk. "Don't worry, I wasn't exactly considered a warrior either for the longest time, but we'll have you into a SSJ2 in no time for sure."

~0~

Blue eyes scanned around the room and took in two, small forms; Marise and Taro were sharing one bed whilst the other bed remained untouched for Goten and Trunks to share later on after they finishing their training.

Bulma cracked a light smile at the sight, idly brushing a loose strand of blue hair out of her face. Despite everything that has happened today, it eased her mind somewhat to see that the twins were sleeping peacefully at least.

Even if she couldn't seem to get an ounce of peace.

And then for what seemed like the millionth time today, she was releasing another sigh.

To be honest, when she awoke aside Vegeta this morning for the tournament, she really had no idea that she would be laying down without him, nor did she have any idea that he wouldn't be returning back to her at all. Regardless, Bulma still found herself wondering why Vegeta did what he did earlier today and what the male may have gained from it. Perhaps Vegeta hasn't changed as much as she originally thought, after all; for one, it was no secret that Vegeta often did things for self-gain and only if he was sure he was going to benefit from it in some sort of shape or fashion.

So what was it in for him when he killed those people?

Bulma found herself biting her lip, her blue eyes adopting a thin layer of haze as she subconsciously zoned out. Was that even Vegeta back there in the first place? Now that she thought about it, Vegeta had some weird insignia broadcasted atop his forehead and it was near identical to the one that Spopovich had on his forehead as well. So, if that was the case, did that _mark_ have something to do with Vegeta's actions?

After all, her and Vegeta had explored one another's bodies _countless_ times and she was pretty sure she would have taken note of something like that. In other words, that insignia was something that had to have been recent. As stated earlier, Vegeta has never had that insignia marked on his person before and he certainly didn't leave the tournament with it, so it was something that had to have taken place when they first went off with the Supreme Kai in order to take care of the Buu ordeal in its beginning stages.

So what in the world happened between then and the Vegeta that showed up at the tournament?

Naturally, seeing as she didn't have Saiyan ears or super sensitive hearing like Piccolo, she couldn't exactly hear the words that were exchanged between the two. But then again perhaps it had been because she had subconsciously tuned things out in hopes that the scene at that time wasn't happening. All in all, he seemed like a completely different person, abnormal even, just like the Spopovich guy that took on Videl.

Wait a minute.

Bulma's blue eyes were all but widening in realization.

Was it possible that said insignia granted whomever it was planted on abnormal strength and power?

Oh Kami.

That couldn't have anything to do with it, could it?

And if it did, was it something that could have been avoided or something that Vegeta willingly succumbed to?

Bulma was at least piecing things together here and there on her own - at least more so compared to earlier when she had just been utterly distraught. But it more than clear that she wouldn't get any further. Granted, she could keep theorizing, but she supposed it would be better if she actually asked Tarble or Goku what happened. Or was it possible that Raditz had an idea of what happened or even a certain blonde?

The blue-haired scientist hummed to herself as if mulling over the idea.

As much as she wanted to know what happened, could she really handle hearing the truth? Furthermore, did she really want to bother Tarble? Tarble was probably struggling to make sense of things just as much as she was, so it really wouldn't be fair to ask him about anything just yet, right?

Plus he was currently training in the Time Chamber along with Raditz.

So neither Tarble nor Raditz were available.

And the same thing could be said for both Goku and Android 18 seeing as they had more important matters to tend to; plus, Goku had a time limit and wouldn't be around for too much longer.

Bulma sighed.

So, really, after everything was said and done, that left Android 18.

Not that she minded, of course.

Perhaps afterwards she'd finally have all of her questions answered.


	20. Chapter 20

A/N: Thanks again for all of the continuous support and feedback; it's very much appreciated!  
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coldblue2015: I'm in the process of PM'ing you again!

Gamelover41592: 17 is still unaware of what's going on for right now, but that won't be for too much longer; so you're definitely not missing anything! Also, unlike canon, Babidi is dead so that global announcement thing from him won't happen. But will get to see some 17 soon!

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Chapter 20: "To The Left Where Nothing Is Right or To The Right Where Nothing is Left?"

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Vegeta remained as he was, arms folded across his chest as he kept to himself.

He was in Hell and while that certainly wasn't a surprise there, the male was actually surprised that he was allowed to keep his body. And for the life of him, he couldn't fathom why.

After all, he was by no means pure.

Perhaps it was due to him killing Majin Buu at the cost of his life. But then again, was such an act really enough to make up for all of his wrongdoings and sins? For all of the lives he took and all of the planets he eradicated? What's more is that Vegeta didn't even think to question King Yemma about this; he had been far too distracted and immersed within his own thoughts at the time.

Considering that he did sacrifice himself for the sake of others for what had to be the first time, after all.

In addition, Vegeta was of royal status and someone that was royalty wasn't expected to sacrifice anything for others; if anything, it was _supposed_ to be the other way around. However, for as long as Vegeta could remember, it has never been that way. Since when did someone that was of royal status live their life enslaved by a tyrant? Further, in what world and universe was it normal for a Prince to bear witness to his father, _the King_ , getting pushed around by said tyrant? His father's words as the King didn't mean anything, nor did his own words as the Prince mean anything to anyone.

All in all, all his father carried was a title that bore no weight.

And the same had always applied for himself whether Vegeta liked it or not.

So could he really be faulted for the things he desired in this world? His birthright, his status of royalty were all stomped on and disregarded at a young age and he eventually adapted to taking things by force and rebelling. Moreover, for someone that was a Prince and for someone that was an Elite Sayian warrior, Vegeta has always had to work ironically hard to obtain the things that mattered to him.

To obtain the things that he should already have.

And it just wasn't fair.

So why should he feel bad for the way he acquired things in life? It wasn't as if he _asked_ to be enslaved by Frieza. He didn't ask for Frieza to destroy his home and his race, his _people_ , after using them to do his dirty work.

Vegeta harrumphed.

It was almost as if the harder he strived, the harder he failed.

Like with destroying Frieza.

Or with becoming a SSJ.

And with standing up against Cell.

He was always several steps behind no matter what it came to and in the end, it was like his actions towards his goals and desires did nothing short of blow up in his face. And others like Bulma and Raditz had the audacity to complain about his attitude or about him consistently "messing things up". The Prince scoffed. As if. Besides, the Saiyan Prince was willing to bet his life that Bulma, Raditz, and anyone else for that matter wouldn't last a day in his shoes; and until they watched as others easily obtained what they couldn't for years on end, they would never understand.

Further, if it was one thing that always remained true since he was a child, it was that the strong survived whilst the weak perished. A prime example was his father and his race; they were too weak to stand up to Frieza and ultimately perished. All in all, Vegeta was sick and tired of not getting what he deserved according to his birthright. He was sick of being left behind and he was sick of failing; thus, realizing that Kakarot and Raditz left him more behind than he originally thought was the last straw.

So, naturally, upon seeing an opportunity for strength with Babidi's magic, he took it.

He hadn't been able to prove his strength against Freiza or Cell, so the next best thing was to surpass Kakarot and Raditz and be the best of the best moving forward to avoid ever being in someone's shadow again. What was the point of having goals if one wasn't willing to do whatever it took to accomplish said goals? He was a Saiyan warrior, the Prince of ALL Saiyans, and he refused to do anything half-baked.

Thus, it mattered not how he was regarded.

And it mattered not if he had to sacrifice or use others in the process, right? After all, since when did feelings ever get anyone any where?

But wasn't that a bit ironic coming from someone that sacrificed himself in the end for the sake of others?

An image of his family flashed in his head and the Saiyan Prince closed his eyes in an attempt to will away such images. Just where was he going wrong? And why couldn't he figure it out? Kakarot was the exact opposite of him, completely selfless, and had everything Vegeta could ever wish for. Even Raditz had a family of his own and he was just as strong as Kakarot. And honestly speaking, Vegeta had suspected that maybe having those bonds granted them that strength, but Frieza didn't have bonds and he was still powerful.

If anything, it was obvious he was overlooking something here.

And whatever it was he was overlooking, Vegeta was certain it had nothing to do with his conviction as he had plenty.

"Looks like we have another Saiyan monkey down here."

Such a comment was stated with such distain and hatred, that Vegeta didn't even have to open his eyes in order to know who was currently trekking towards him; it was Zarbon.

And by the sound of things, it would seem as if Zarbon wasn't alone.

Vegeta slowly opened his eyes, a slow smirk spreading across his features. Calmly, Vegeta's black eyes took in Zarbon, Dodoria, and Jeice and then the male was all but diverting his attention back onto the ring leader before retorting with ease, "I'd rather be a Saiyan monkey than a lackey of Freiza's any day."

Zarbon's eyes narrowed slightly; however, he maintained his composure for the most part, "Oh? Is that really how you feel? Have you forgotten what became of you useless apes?"

Dodoria released a cocky chuckle, shoulders shaking in the process. "It would seem so. Maybe you ought to remind him, Zarbon."

Zarbon's smirk widened. "Perhaps I should."

"Yeah," Jeice agreed, a smirk of his own present. "I mean I clearly remember the _Prince of Monkeys_ being a lackey of Lord Freiza's as well; isn't that the pot calling the kettle black?"

Vegeta dropped his arms from his chest, sending the male a taunting smirk as he all but completely ignored Jeice's words. Jeice, aware that Vegeta was deliberately ignoring him, all but scowled in displeasure.

But Vegeta could care less.

"And just what is you plan on reminding _me_ of? Because even if you do transform into that _thing_ , even that won't do you any good against me."

Zarbon's eyes widened briefly; however, he quickly caught his bearings. Easily, Zarbon brushed a few loose strands of his beautiful hair out of the way, chuckling lightly, "Oh, Vegeta. What a pity. It seems you're still just as arrogant as ever."

"And you're still just as hideous as ever."

Zarbon looked near insulted. "Hideous? I don't think so." Then Zarbon's eyes narrowed, "I suggest you watch what you say."

Vegeta smirked. Zarbon was still the same after all. If anyone made a comment towards his appearance that Zarbon didn't like, Zarbon was quick to go on the defensive and get upset. How pathetic. Nevertheless, he'd make an example out of the three before him. The Saiyan Prince's eyes diverted off of the three before him and onto the immense crowd watching on from a distance.

He easily spotted Saiyans as well as more of Frieza's men among the crowds.

"So," Vegeta stated bluntly after he finished taking in their audience, "are we doing this or not?"

Naturally, Zarbon dropped his arms from his chest and moved to take a step forwards. The others behind him followed suite, seemingly prepping themselves; however, Vegeta didn't give them any more time to do anything more. In a instant, Vegeta was all but slamming his fist into Zarbon's chest and sending him hurling backwards before phasing in between Dodoria and Jeice, charging up ki blasts in either of his hands.

Their eyes widened in realization, but it was far too late as Vegeta was already sending them hurling backwards in the same direction he sent Zarbon hurling in with two ki blasts to the chest.

The Saiyan Prince had all but basically defeated them with little to no effort at all.

If this was what his time would consist of in Hell, then maybe he could get used to this.

That was if anyone dared to approach him after this.

~0~

Chi-Chi wasn't happy.

The only time Goku had to spend with her and their family had been interrupted, then some weird men attacked her eldest son at the tournament, and then afterwards mostly everyone ended up leaving the tournament to tend to something else.

Something of which she already had a bad feeling about mind you.

 _Then_ , as if that wasn't bad enough, her eldest son ended up getting killed by Majin Buu and Goku was now currently training their youngest child to fight against the very thing that took away their Gohan.

The raven-haired woman released an exasperated sigh.

If this kept up, she'd look older than Bulma.

"Ms. Chi-Chi?"

Upon being addressed, Chi-Chi whirled around to face the source; it was none other than Videl and the short-haired woman had her fists balled. At the sight, Chi-Chi cocked a black brow, "Videl?"

"I hope I'm not going to upset you or anything by saying this, but - " Videl clenched her fists harder if possible, steeling her gaze as she took in the older woman - "there's just no way that I can believe that Gohan's dead. I tried accepting what Goku and Raditz said, I even tried to let it sink in, but I just can't."

"Well," Bulma interjected before Chi-Chi could respond. The blue-haired scientist was all but trekking towards them with a light smile on her features, though it was quite obvious it was fake, "If nothing else, you sure are adamant about your feelings."

"I'll say," Chi-Chi agreed, "I'm beginning to think you may have feelings for my son, Videl."

Videl's eyes widened, flushing slightly at the accusation. "Wait, huh?"

Bulma giggled lightly behind a hand, her small shoulders shaking in the process. "Well she certainly didn't deny it, so maybe she really does have feelings for Gohan, huh, Chi?"

Videl flushed harder if possible, mentally berating herself for being so transparent. She awkwardly cleared her throat and opened her mouth to say something else; however before she could do so, her cell phone was ringing.

Thank Kami.

She didn't even care that it was her dad, she just wanted to get herself out of this embarrassing situation.

"Uh, I have to take this. It's my dad and he's probably worried about me."

And so without further ado and to save herself from further embarrassment, Videl quickly dismissed herself. Meanwhile, Chi-Chi and Bulma stared after the younger woman for a moment, before diverting their attention onto each other.

"How were the twins when you went to go check on them?"

"They're still sleeping," Bulma supplied and then Bulma's blue eyes shifted onto Goku and the others, a frown forming on her pretty features. "I'm guessing they still haven't taken a break, huh?"

Chi-Chi shook her head. "No and knowing Goku, he's probably not going to take one. I guess that was just wishful thinking on my part. Same with thinking that I was actually going to spend time with my husband."

Bulma shot Chi-Chi a pointed look, but opted to remain silent. Hopefully they weren't going to have this conversation again. But if they were, it would probably do Chi-Chi more good to just relay her worries to Goku since her words were only doing but so much for Chi-Chi; not to mention it was becoming painfully clear that Chi-Chi really did need to talk to Goku.

Otherwise, he wouldn't be coming up so consistently.

At least not in this nature.

~0~

"Perfect!" Goku praised as he took in Zangya and Android 18. "You guys are doing good so far with the overall technique, so why don't you two take it the next step up and work on getting your power levels the same?"

Goku didn't wait for either of the two women to respond, instead his black eyes diverted back onto Trunks and Goten. "As for you two," he offered them an encouraging smile despite them not showing as much progress as the older women, "Your technique still isn't quite there yet. You guys just need some more practice and then you'll be like Zangya and 18 in no time."

Trunks frowned, "You hear that Goten? Our technique _sucks_ because you keep messing up."

Goten pouted. How come everything was always his fault? "That's not true, Trunks! Take that back; I'm trying just as hard as you!"

"Now, now," Goku soothed, "Let's remember what I said earlier, okay? This will go a lot faster if everyone cooperates. Plus, " Goku tacked on, "I really don't have much time left here on Earth so it's important that we get this done and make the most out of our time."

"Goku's right," Piccolo agreed, "Besides, while we don't have to train Zangya or 18 afterwards, you two are a different story. Unlike Zangya and 18, you're both inexperienced and unfamiliar with fighting."

Goten blinked, tilting his head to the side. "Inexperienced?"

"Well to be fair," 18 cut in stoically, noting that Trunks was whispering to Goten. 18 assumed that Trunks was simplifying Piccolo's words in an easier way for him to understand and merely continued, "They're not really expected to have much given that they're still rather young."

Zangya cut her eyes. "Are you bringing _that_ up again? Didn't you hear what Tarble said earlier? Saiyans were purging planets at the age of four."

"As I was saying," 18 continued, all but pointedly ignoring Zangya and keeping her eyes trained on Piccolo's, "Given that they aren't really experts with fighting, is there really any guarantee that they'll be able to stand up against Majin Buu even _after_ fusing? They don't have much more time to practice, so what good is fusing going to do if they don't have the battle experience after training?"

"I understand your concerns," Piccolo assured with ease, "And it's very likely that we won't have time to actually test their powers by the time we finish training, but it's still worth a shot and it's still worth remembering that they're ultimately our last resort."

"Yeah," Krillin butted in, "If anything I'm sure we're all secretly hoping that Raditz and Tarble finishes up soon; Goku and Raditz are pretty much the strongest, after all, so if Raditz finishes while Goku still has some time left then maybe the two of them really can take on Majin Buu together."

"Well," Goku drawled out slowly, "remember when I said that I've only really gone into my SSJ3 form in the Other World and that it could possibly take me longer to obtain that form while on Earth?"

Krillin nodded and Goku continued, "Well unfortunately, there's no way I could transform into SSJ3 as quickly as Raditz and then still have time left to fight Majin Buu beside him. I've been thinking about that since he suggested it earlier. Plus we still don't know how much of my time is going to be devoted to the boys just yet."

"Couldn't you go in the Time Chamber for a bit once Raditz gets out?" Zangya suggested.

"I could," Goku agreed with a nod, "but it's still all going to boil down to time at the end of the day and I'm afraid there's just too many factors involved."

"And while I don't doubt Raditz at all," Piccolo began, "there's no telling how long it'll take Tarble to ascend to SSJ2, so it really is an issue with time altogether."

18 frowned slightly, "I see. That is true."

"Unfortunately," Goku agreed, "but the good news is that we have options and other methods of accomplishing what's important." Then, he was positioning himself closer to Zangya and 18 so as to get a better look at the two women. "Having said that, why don't you two try fusing for the first time?"

Silence.

Krillin and Piccolo shared a glance, noting that neither of the two women moved an inch.

"Is...something the matter?" Goku inquired curiously, head tilting in just the slightest of ways.

"No," 18 finally answered after a soundless sigh.

Then she was looking at Zangya expectantly, whom simply regarded her with a knowing smirk.

"Let's just get this over with."

"Fine with me," Zangya agreed, positioning herself accordingly so that either of her arms were outstretched towards her right, one palm facing in whilst one palm faced away.

18 did the same, except either of her arms were outstretched towards her left.

"FU... - "

Both woman moved three steps over, rotating their arms to the opposing side as they did so. They came to a halt at the same time, knees bent in either direction and their weight shifted towards the upper half of their feet.

"- SION"

Both women simultaneously shifted their arms back to their original position, their hands now balled into fists, and then they did a quarter turn with their outside knee. Lastly, the two women slanted their outside leg down, leaning in towards the other and pointing their fingertips exactly as Goku instructed, "HA!"

Immediately, a blue ball of energy seemed to envelope them as they merged to form one being; said blue ball of energy was brightly illuminating the Lookout to the point where the others stopped what they were doing and quickly came to see what was going on. Oodly enough, it was hard to see given how bright the energy was, but it eventually cleared in no time.

And the end result was stunning.

In the absence of the two women was a beautiful, light green-skinned female with long luscious curls. The curls stopped a little ways past her backside, having retained Zangya's original hair length, whilst the hair color was utterly blonde. So while the new being had Zangya's beautiful light green skin and Zangya's curls, the hair color and icy blue eyes were in favor of Android 18.

Further, the new being was clothed in a black tube top, originating from 18's long-sleeved black shirt of which had white stripes on the sleeves, and white, loose-fitting pants. Said pants obviously originated from Zangya and the tube top that originated from 18, was tucked in the white pants. As for the shoes, of which clearly came from Zangya, were orange and black instead of yellow and black.

The look was completed with an denim blue sash, instead of Zangya's typical purple one.

Piccolo, like many others, were wide eyed. "It...actually worked."

Goku shot Piccolo a frown, "Of course it did. Did you think otherwise?"

"No," Piccolo answered distractedly, "It's just..."

"I think what Piccolo's trying to say is," Master Roshi cut in, blood hanging out of his nose, "why didn't you suggest this earlier?!"

Piccolo sweat dropped. "...That's definitely not what I was trying to say."

"Who cares?" Oolong dismissed. "They're...hot! Even hotter than before!"

Bulma mercilessly smacked both Master Roshi and Oolong in the back of the head with either of her hands. "That's the point here, you pervs!"

"Check out the ki! It's unbelievable!" Goku praised. "Isn't it amazing?"

"Whoa!" Goten and Trunks echoed wide-eyed. "That's so...cool!"

"Definitely!" Trunks agreed aside his younger Saiyan friend. "I was a little concerned since the actually fusing part seems lame, but this...this is awesome!"

Goten beamed excitedly. "I wonder what we're going to look like, Trunks!"

"Tell me about it!" Trunks agreed. "I bet we'll look ten times cooler than Aunt...uh...Zangteen?"

Bulma scrunched her nose up in distaste. "No way! We can't call them that!"

Goten cocked a brow. "Then...Zanteen?"

Yamcha placed a finger to his chin in deep thought. "Or how about...Android Zangya?"

"Nah," Krillin dismissed. "That sounds too weird. How about Cangya? You know short for Cyborg Zangya?"

And as if she was tired of waiting around for the others to guess her name, the new beautiful warrior provided it for them. "You're all too far off; the name's Zazuli."


	21. Chapter 21

A/N: All support and feedback are greatly appreciated; thanks!

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Abyss Trinity: I definitely see what you mean; they do have quite the potential! But it's just something about Goten and Trunks reaching SSJ3 so easily at the ages of 7 and 8 whilst Vegeta _never_ obtained it just didn't sit right with me. Plus, they already didn't have to do much to become SSJ's in the anime and that always bothered me. I mean especially compared to how Goku and Vegeta became SSJ.

coldblue2015: Thanks for the detailed review! PM'ing you now!

Gamelover41592: Thanks! And that's how it seems to be for our favorite Prince, alright! And Raditz's reaction to seeing the fusion will certainly be interesting!

Fan of 17: Thanks! I really wish Akira would have did more with their psychology in the anime, at least! Plus, Zangya is kinda used to being the only female warrior, or at least she was for a while, and of course 18 makes a good rival for Zangya! And I really like their fusion design too, thanks!

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(1) is Shining Friday...a more powerful version of Saturday Crush according to wiki.

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Chapter 21: Tarble's Shame and The Fate Of The World!

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Tarble panted exhaustively, dropping down to his hands and knees.

Had he overestimated himself?

Was it truly possible for someone like _him_ to avenge Vegeta of all people?

At the moment, it was feeling near impossible and if he thought that training with Vegeta was hard, then training with Raditz was a completely different story. Unlike his brother, Raditz applied more thought behind his attacks and wasn't as straight forward as Vegeta. And despite fighting Krillin at the tournament, whom had a similar method of operation, Tarble really wasn't all that experienced with countering such a thing. In addition, he would at least like to think that he was somewhat able to keep up with Kriilin back then, but it was almost as if he couldn't hold a candle to Raditz despite quickly realizing that the male was a strategic fighter.

And it was throwing him off, to say the least.

Needless to say if this kept up, then he would never ascend at this rate and he would only succeed in holding Raditz back.

The smaller male balled his fists in a bout of frustration. What if _this_ was the best he could do? What if he could only get as far as obtaining SSJ? And what if he really did get too ahead of himself earlier; after all, he wasn't exactly regarded as a warrior from the moment he was born, so he really wasn't even regarded as Saiyan material. On the other hand, Goku, Raditz, and Vegeta were all powerful warriors and whilst he heard that Goku was actually sent to another planet (ironically, Earth) to purge at birth both Raditz and his older brother remained on Planet Vegeta.

So, all in all, _they_ hadn't been discarded and sent away for being weak; it was just him.

Because unlike them, Tarble had been a failure since birth.

"Tarble!"

The youngest of King Vegeta was forcibly torn from his stupor by the sound of Raditz's voice, eyes all but widening as the slight layer of haze that coated his teal eyes quickly vanished and instead, focused in on the large, purplish-pink energy sphere (1) fastly closing in on him.

And then the next thing the paralyzed male seemed to be processing a moment later was that Raditz was all but appearing before him in a blur and quickly redirecting his own attack upwards at the last minute. Raditz's eyes trailed after his own attack before diverting his teal eyes onto the male behind him. "Why are you zoning out in the middle of the fight? I know you've trained with Vegeta countless times, so I'm guessing you normally don't do this."

Tarble guilty regarded the male, "I'm sorry if I'm being a burden, Raditz. It's just...I have a lot on my mind is all."

The burly male said nothing for a moment as if debating on what to say in response and then he was releasing a soundless sigh. "So you're distracted, huh? Well I guess I'd be a hypocrite to chastise you when I'm a bit distracted myself to be honest."

Tarble's eyes widened in surprise, noting that Raditz offered him a hand and pulled him back up to his feet; Tarble accepted the gesture. "You're distracted...too?"

"Yeah," Raditz answered honestly. "For starters, I have 18 and the boys at the back of my head; after all, they're the back up plan to taking down Majin Buu and obviously, that's something I want to avoid at all costs. I don't want the boys fighting or my mate fighting. If anything, I was hoping that Kakarot and I could take down Majin Buu together despite not being able to fuse together, but it seems as if everything is time-dependent."

"I see." Tarble agreed with saddened eyes, processing everything. "It's exactly as you stated if one took the time to actually think about it; there's just so many factors to take into account and I'm sure you could be out of here a lot faster if you weren't training someone like - "

" - That's not where I was going." Raditz interrupted. "Basically, I'm just feeling pressured since it seems to be a race against time. Besides, that's not the only reason I'm distracted either."

Tarble cocked a brow, and Raditz continued. "I don't know how to describe it, but 18 feels distant all of a sudden; like there's some sort of interference with our bond or something."

"Wouldn't that have something to do with being in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber? I mean you did mention that the time is quite different here."

Raditz shook his head in disagreement. "I don't think that's it. I mean it didn't feel as strong as it normally would since time is different in here, yes, but I was still able to feel it and it didn't seem as if she was far away from me or something."

Tarble hummed lowly, mentally mulling over what Raditz had just relayed to him. Unfortunately, the younger Saiyan was unable to come up with a reason behind what was going on no matter how long he tried to think about it. His shoulders sagged slightly, ultimately offering Raditz an apologetic smile instead, "I'm sorry I can't think of anything. I wish I could be more helpful."

"It's fine," Raditz answered gruffly. "It could be slowly weakening the longer we spend time in here. Either way, as long as I can still feel it somewhat, I'll be alright. Anyway," Raditz quickly continued after a brief pause, his teal eyes taking in Tarble's exhausted form. "Why don't you take a break for a bit? I'll be working on perfecting my SSJ3 form some more and whenever you're ready to pick back up again, come find me."

And then without further ado, Raditz was quickly moving to head elsewhere; however, Tarble couldn't help but call out to the Saiyan. At this, Raditz cocked a brow; nonetheless, he halted mid-step. "Yeah?"

Tarble looked hesitant. "Five days ago you told me that you weren't exactly the strongest warrior either and I was just wondering if you could elaborate on that some more. Plus, I've noticed from our past conversations...that you don't really think too highly of our race."

The burly Saiyan scoffed, but it wasn't towards Tarble. "Of course I don't. The only thing that mattered to our race was power and considering that our race was enslaved to Frieza, I find that quite ironic." Then Raditz shot Tarble a pointed look. "You should know that as well as myself given that you were literally sent off."

Tarble's teal eyes saddened somewhat at the reminded. "Yeah, you're right."

"If anything, perhaps that would have been better than being a laughing stock to my peers and a disgrace to my own father. _Well_ ," Raditz corrected after some thought, "if Bardock could even be called that at the time; he was a shitty father back then. And if that wasn't bad enough, I seriously thought that things would change after I was placed on a team with two Elite Saiyans, you know so I could redeem myself somewhat...but that was just a waste of time."

Tarble's features were similar to that of surprise and pity. "I'm sorry to hear to that. I didn't know you went through - "

Raditz held up a hand, cutting Tarble off mid-sentence. " - I don't need your pity. Besides none of that matters anymore, that's all behind me where it should be. I'm not tooting my own horn here, but I've changed a lot since then...both in power and mentality. And one other thing," Raditz tacked on, "if _that's_ what's distracting you...comparing yourself to your brother or to Kakarot or even to myself, you're doing nothing short of making yourself miserable; you're a Super Saiyan and that's a lot stronger than our dead race that's currently rotting in Hell."

Tarble was somewhat at a loss for words; nonetheless, he managed to pull himself together. "...Thank you?"

Raditz grunted and proceeded to head further into the vast white space within the Time Chamber. "Come find me after your break."

~0~

Launch cursed.

This was all Tien's fault; he just had to go and get her pregnant. And if that wasn't bad enough, she was tired of being cooped up in the house damn it! She couldn't even remember the last time she went out or the last time she had a _drink_.

"Um...Launch?" Chiaotzu timidly called out. "Are you okay?"

Launch's green eyes shifted over onto Tien's best friend, a scowl on her angry features. "Does it look like I'm okay?!"

Chiaotzu wisely refrained from responding. Instead, he shared a quick glance with Puar.

Although it was clear that Puar was at just as much as a loss as he was; at least at the moment. Though, to be honest, Chiaotzu did invite Puar over to stay with them in hopes that they could deal with Launch together whilst Tien trained a few hours here and there everyday, but Chiaotzu was beginning to think that wasn't doing them any sort of justice at all.

And to think that he, Puar and Tien all had six more months to deal with this.

Chiaotzu released a depressive sigh; if anything, he was at least grateful that Puar was willing to help him look over Launch whilst she carried. Of course, Chiaotzu had no problems with his best friend training a few hours out of the day to train, but he wouldn't have survived being alone with Launch if Puar wasn't here to help him in Tien's absence.

It was getting to the point where Chiaotzu wanted her to sneeze already.

Launch cocked a brow. "What? You got something you wanna say?!"

Chiaotzu opened his mouth to respond but Puar wisely cut in, all but blocking Launch's view of Chiaotzu in the process. "No, of course not!" Puar quickly dissuaded. "We were just wondering what we could do to help make your pregnancy go smoother!"

Launch seemed to pipe down in response to Puar's words, her shoulders relaxing as she leaned back into the chair she was currently sitting on. "Don't worry about it; I'm fine I guess."

Puar offered the blonde woman a smile. "Well, if you need anything just let us know." Then Puar turned to face Chiaotzu, "I'm going to use the phone to call and check on Yamcha."

Chiaotzu distractedly nodded, ultimately heading over to the other chair within the living room and plopping down in silence.

Hopefully, Tien wouldn't take too long to return back today.

And thank Kami Puar was nice enough to help him out.

~0~

"Why you no give Buu chocolate?! Buu want chocolate!"

The terrified woman couldn't even summon the words to respond. After all, this was the very creature that made several reports and headlines. From what she heard, he was responsible for making a train derail as well as the havoc caused at their local amusement park in town. Further, he had also caused quite the bit of casualties and damage at countless other bakery and sweet shops.

She nervously swallowed, noting that the others in the store were just as terrified as her.

Where did this creature even come from? And...what was he? And just where was the World Champion?

"But s-sir, like I said earlier, you have to pay for - "

" - Buu no pay! Buu just turn you and everyone else into chocolate instead!"

The poor girl's eyes widened in fear as well as everyone else's in the bakery, but it was far too late for any of them. In a instant, collective screams filled the bakery shop as Buu was all but turning everyone in the vicinity into chocolate; all with a simple gesture of the pink antenna atop his head.

Sadly, they never stood a chance.

And neither did anyone from any of the other bakery and pastry shops.

Meanwhile, from the Lookout, Dende was regarding everything taking place down below them with a frown; this wasn't good. At this rate, if this kept up, Majin Buu would have probably have the entire Earth destroyed within five days or so.

From behind Dende, Popo was worriedly regarding the smaller Namekian as it was more than clear that he was distraught.

"This is absolutely horrible." Dende remarked with slumped shoulders. "Those people down there are entirely innocent and have done nothing to deserve this."

"You're right," Mr. Popo agreed, "But there is some good in the situation at least."

Dende curiously turned his head so as to better regard his aid. "You really think so?"

Mr. Popo gave a curt nod. "Of course. Remember that we still have the Dragon balls on our side. Granted, one wish has already been used, but in four months we can use the Dragon balls again and undo all damage."

"Yes, I know, but at this rate, Earth won't uphold for four months. I mean Majin Buu has caused so many casualties already and it's only been a few _hours_ since everyone gathered here."

Mr. Popo offered Dende a reassuring smile despite Dende's words. "And while that is every bit of unfortunate, we do still have powerful warriors on our side, do we not?"

Dende's lips tugged upwards somewhat, "You're absolutely right, Mr. Popo. I truly hope everything works out in the end."

~0~

"Well," Piccolo prodded after a bout of silence. "How are you feeling?"

Zazuli diverted her icy blue eyes onto the Namekian, distractedly running a hand through her luscious curls. "The power I'm feeling is near overwhelming, but I feel confident that taking down that disgusting creature won't pose _any_ problem whatsoever."

Piccolo's eyes widened at this, somewhat surprised. Was she really implying that Majin Buu wouldn't pose any challenge at all? He found that a little hard to believe. "Don't you think that's a bit too confident?"

"Excuse me," Zazuli began, an blonde brow all but cocked as she regarded Piccolo. "I recall you asking _me_ how I was feeling."

Piccolo's eyes widened further if possible. If anything, he was rendered speechless and couldn't figure out if that was Raditz's wife talking or if that was Zangya talking; however, after some consideration, he was willing to bet that it was possibly the former. Either way, after he caught his bearings, the green warrior was finally responding. "You're right, I did ask you how you were feeling because it's also important to not let this new power go to your head lest it ends up being confused as confidence."

"There's nothing to be confused about; I know what I feel." Zazuli insisted.

Simultaneously, whilst Piccolo had been asking Zazuli questions here and there, Goku had been observing Zazuli in silence. Then, as if finished mulling over whatever it was he had been thinking about, Goku smirked lightly. "Then, if you're feeling that confident, what do you say we test this new power of yours? Majin Buu was able to take on a SSJ3 Raditz and I'm curious if you'll push me even beyond."

Piccolo was quick to divert his attention onto the dead Saiyan. "Goku! Are you insane? You were given 24 hours, but there's no telling how much of that time you burned whilst fighting Vegeta and now you're talking about getting into another fight?"

Krillin and Maron shared a glance, clearly agreeing with Piccolo. Though, out of the two, Krillin was first to speak, "I must say, Goku, I'm agreeing with Piccolo here. Not only that, but we still have to train the boys."

"That's true." Goku agreed, "but the boys pretty much know the steps of the fusion technique and if I end up burning my remaining time before we're able to finish making sure they have the technique down and before training them further, there's still Raditz. Maybe once he finishes training with Tarble, he can help you and Piccolo train the kids."

"Goku," Bulma drawled out slowly, "that doesn't exactly sound like something Raditz would want to do; I mean I'm sure he wouldn't mind training with the kids, but based off of what he was saying earlier, it sounds like he's more concerned with taking Majin Buu down as soon as possible. Wouldn't that set Raditz and Tarble back if they picked up your slack?"

"And," Yamcha butted in, tucking his cell phone back into pocket before rejoining Susan Marie and the others, "not to mention that's just burning unnecessary time, right?"

"Exactly," Piccolo agreed. "So why not use that time to better prepare the boys while you have the time, Goku? Doesn't that make more sense?"

Goku pouted, looking to Master Roshi for help; after all, everyone else seemed to be against the idea. "Master Roshi, what do you think?"

Master Roshi hummed lowly as if in deep thought, before finally responding. "I'm sorry, Goku, but if Trunks and Goten are going to be a last resort, then they're going to need all of the training they can get. If for some reason, Raditz and Tarble don't come out In a timely manner and if your time ends up before then, then the right thing to do would to use your time wisely and train Goten and Trunks as much as possible. Zazuli isn't like the boys; they're the product of experienced warrior women and don't require much attention. But the boys on the other hand, _do_."

"Further," Master Roshi summed up, "If we're going to have multiple plans here, then we need to make sure each plan is foolproof...or in this case...trained to their fullest potential."

Goku's shoulders slumped as that obviously wasn't the answer he was looking for, nor expecting. Then, he was diverting his eyes over to Chi-Chi next, whom had been unusually quiet. "Chi," Goku tried slowly, "what do you think?"

Chi-Chi calmly diverted her attention onto her husband. "What do I think?"

"Well, yeah." Goku encouraged with a light smile. "Do you agree with the others? What are your thoughts?"

Chi-Chi's eyes narrowed slightly as the raven-haired woman all but trekked past Videl and the others so that she was standing directly before her husband, "I'll gladly share my thoughts with you."

"Chi," Bulma called out warily. "I don't think now is the time."

Chi-Chi didn't bother sparing her friend a glance, her eyes trained on Goku. "Is fighting _all_ you think about? You've been dead for seven years and you come back for 24 hours and here you go, getting tied up in something else yet _again_. It's bad enough that I was without my husband after _you_ decided to stay dead after Cell, but then you weren't even there for me at all when I was pregnant with Goten!"

"Chi-Chi," Goku began. "I'm so - "

" - I don't want your apology!" Chi-Chi interrupted, black eyes fierce. "I've tolerated so much from you - when you're _alive_ that is - and all I ever get from you is an weightless apology! I've tried to look past everything and I've tried listening to Bulma and Raditz, but _today_ takes the cake! I've wanted nothing but the best for our family and I can't even get that! It's bad enough you want to train the boys in the first place to fight that monster that took away our son, but now you want to risk burning your remaining time to be selfish?! Do you have anything to say for yourself?!"

Goku remained silent and Chi-Chi's eyes desperately searched his in hopes that he would say anything - anything at all - but he didn't.

Chi-Chi's black eyes welled up with tears, her expression drowned with hurt. "Nothing, huh? I don't even know why I expect something from someone that doesn't even care about his wife."

And then the raven-haired woman was all but harshly slapping her husband and taking off.

Silence.

"And here I thought my parents were the only ones that argued."

Goten's eyes diverted onto Trunks, not all pleased with his best friend's comment. "That's not funny, Trunks!"

Trunks blinked. "Huh? But I wasn't saying it to be funny, Goten! Are you upset with me again?"

And whilst the kids argued amongst themselves, Bulma was placing a hand to her head and sighing. "I guess I'll be back; it's obvious that someone has to go comfort her."

Piccolo stared after Bulma a bit, before turning back to face a quiet Goku. "Goku if you want to go talk to her, you can. I'm sure Zazuli and the boys won't mind. Zazuli can test her new form here on the Lookout until the remaining fusion time clears and Krillin and I can take over with the boys until you return."

"Yeah, thanks." Goku responded oddly calm, "She's really upset, huh?"

"Geez," Ranfan butted in. "I know it may not be my place to say anything but it seems like she's been holding in quite the bit of turmoil; I'm not sure if even talking will smooth things over."


	22. Chapter 22

A/N: Thanks guys and gals for the continued support and feedback! It's much appreciated!

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Gamelover41592: Tell me about it! It was pretty sad to write.

Abyss Trinity: Yeah, I'm not doubting the potential or idea/explanation as to why the boys were able to obtain SSJ so easily, but it's just that it kind of took away of the weight/gravity of becoming a SSJ. At least to me it did; I don't know how to explain it. But yeah Goku is definitely a terrible father! It seems like a running gag in Shonen. Some may argue that Naruto's a bad dad, but I mean at least Naruto recognized his kids and didn't near kill them like Sasuke did in Boruto. Anyway, off topic! I hope to work on those familial bonds in this story at least, because I really like Goku and Chi-Chi as a couple...it just doesn't seem like Akira does at times if you get what I mean.

coldblue2015: In the process of PM'ing you in regards to your review!

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Oh! Also, if any of you out there has never been to an anime convention before, PM me if you're interested! There's one I go to in May, but I usually prep by December. And, a few of you mentioned Android 21...and I'm doing some thinking about that one. And one last thing, I've been thinking of doing a different R/18 story _eventually_...like a college A/U or something. Idk. I thought this would be my last DBZ fic honestly.

* * *

Chapter 22: A Long Overdue Heart-to-Heart?

* * *

"Wait, Chi!"

Despite Bulma's attempts to get Chi-Chi's attention, the raven-haired woman was still storming off. At this Bulma's eyes widened with mild surprise; however, the blue-haired scientist wasn't deterred in the slightest. Matter-of-factly, Bulma had all but quickened her pace in order to cut in front of the upset woman - otherwise, Bulma knew that Chi-Chi wouldn't stop.

" _Chi-Chi!_ " Bulma insisted once more with a frown, her blue brows all but furrowing in annoyance.

The raven-haired woman in question finally stopped; however, it was more than apparent that she wasn't in the mood to talk. Not after what just happened with Goku. After all, it was more than clear that he didn't care about her or their family. And, as if that wasn't bad enough, she had been a fool to think otherwise; especially when all of the signs had been so clear from the start.

How could she have been so blind?

Or was there a possibility that she had been in denial this whole time?

Granted, they did meet as kids decades back, but when she faced him in the World Tournament, he had no recollection of their promise as kids. And as much as she hated to admit it, Goku didn't love her back when they were kids and he certainly didn't love her when they got married. Her feelings had been unreturned at both points in their lives and whilst she loved him whole-heartedly for as long as she could remember, Goku only married her out of obligation.

Chi-Chi's angry expression quickly turned to one of pain as the reminder struck her harder than any pain a physical blow could deal.

And as if to further solidify Chi-Chi's pain, her eyes welled up with a fresh batch of tears.

Oh Kami.

Chi-Chi sniffled in an attempt to pull herself together, but that did little to stop the tears from flowing. If anything, it seemed to make it worse and for that very reason she couldn't help but feel pathetic. While she certainly wasn't wealthy like Bulma, she was definitely a princess as she was still the daughter of the Ox King and she was a rather polished fighter.

All in all, she had a lot to her name as well and a woman of her status shouldn't be crying over her husband. Not only that, but it certainly wasn't a far cry to state that this clearly wasn't the life she imagined at all when Goku proposed to her - even if it was out of obligation - at the World Tournament.

Meanwhile, at the sight of Chi-Chi's tears, Bulma quickly wrapped her arms around the younger woman. Bulma couldn't explain it, but it was as if all of her irritation and annoyance with Chi-Chi had just vanished into thin air. Granted, they had their differences or little arguments from time-to-time, but at the end of the day they were still friends and she hated it when Chi-Chi was upset. "Chi-Chi," She murmured soothingly, pulling back in just the slightest of ways in order to regard her heartbroken friend. "It's going to be okay, alright? You're just stressed; we all are."

Despite Bulma's attempts to cheer her up, Chi-Chi still couldn't help but frown. "You've said that countless times you know. That everything's going to be okay."

"Because it will be." The blue-haired woman insisted.

Chi-Chi shook her head in disagreement. "No it won't, Bulma. At least not for me. Goku is never going to change; his primary concern is always going to be fighting and he's always going to be at the center of _something_. Besides," Chi-Chi continued, biting her bottom lip, "Goku married me out of obligation; he didn't marry me out of love. If anything...maybe everything I've been going through since then has been _my_ fault."

Bulma opened her mouth to protest, but Chi-Chi held up a hand and shook her head. "At this point, I just don't know how to feel or think." Then her eyes flickered up onto Bulma's, offering her a weak smile in the process. "Though, at the very least, I must admit I envy you."

The blue-haired woman was confused. "Envy me?"

Chi-Chi didn't hesitate to elaborate, shooting her friend an incredulous look in the process. "Well, yeah, Bulma; If anything, while Vegeta certainly doesn't have the best of personalities, he was always around at least."

At the mention of Vegeta, Bulma's gaze saddened slightly; nevertheless, she responded. "I mean you do have a point, but after today's actions - " Bulma's blue eyes saddened even more if possible - "I'm not even sure where Vegeta and I stand at this point. I thought things had been going progressively well between us and then _this_ happens; it's almost like we're back to square one or something. If it's anyone you, and possibly even me, _should_ be envious of...it's 18."

The raven-haired woman seemed to consider it for a bit, before ultimately agreeing. "You're right. Sure, Raditz does train just like Vegeta and Goku, but Raditz actually works for a living to support his family and he was actually an active father to his own kids...as well as our kids."

Bulma hummed her agreement. "18 doesn't realize how lucky she is." Then Bulma's blue eyes were diverting back onto Chi-Chi's black ones. "But then again," She tacked on after a while, "comparing our situations won't do anything but make things worse, don't you think?"

Chi-Chi rolled her eyes. What did she mean that comparing their situations would only make things worse? Was that even possible for her? Chi-Chi expressed just that, "Well, I don't know that it can, Bulma; after all, what's worse than my own husband not loving me and not giving two cents about his family?"

Again, Bulma moved to protest; however, she was quickly interrupted.

And unlike previously, the interruption didn't come from Chi-Chi.

"Hey, Chi?"

Both women diverted their attention onto the source of whom proved to be none other than Goku. Further, it didn't come as surprise to either of the women that he looked somewhat confused - as if he was still trying to process why his wife was upset with him. Nevertheless, the male continued once he realized both women were listening, "Can we talk?"

Naturally, Chi-Chi didn't answer; however, she did note out of the corner of her eyes that Bulma excused herself. Perhaps Bulma did it to be polite, respectful even, and granted she did appreciate the gesture, but just what was there to talk about? And just what exactly was going to change? Chi-Chi already knew the answers to both of these questions and wasn't motivated in the slightest to discuss anything with her heroic husband.

Even so, Chi-Chi decided to hear him out at least.

~0~

"That's it," Raditz encouraged as his teal eyes took in Tarble's small form. The younger Saiyan was currently in his SSJ state and was all but attempting to ascend further. If anything, the more Tarble tried to push beyond his limits, the more pointless it seemed. However, given that Raditz did give him somewhat of a pep talk yesterday about him being stronger than most Saiyans, Tarble was trying to push any negative thoughts and doubts aside and focus on the matter at hand.

Which was ascending to SSJ2.

Raditz, on the other hand, cocked a non-existent brow as he continued observing Tarble; after all, it was rather clear that the male was still struggling. "Are you still distracted?"

Tarble blinked upon being addressed all but halting his attempts with ascending for the time-being. "No I don't believe so; if anything, I'm making a conscious effort to stay positive."

A SSJ3 Raditz offered a nod in acknowledgement as he seemed to mull over a few things internally. Compared to Tarble, his task wasn't as hard. If anything, Raditz was just working on extending his SSJ3 duration day-by-day for the time being - as that was training in itself - and then afterwards if that had some time left, he'd train his SSJ3 form a little more extensively. So, all in all, his main concern was just increasing the amount of time he could stay in his SSJ3 form, so it wasn't as if he was doing anything too strenuous or hard compared to Tarble whom was actually trying to ascend.

And it was for that very reason that Raditz was trying to be as patient as possible with Tarble given that he knew firsthand how hard ascension could be. Furthermore, seeing as he had to help Kakarot ascend after the whole Frieza ordeal, he could further testify that it certainly wasn't something that came easily.

But he figured Tarble should at least know that if Vegeta helped him ascend to SSJ in the past.

Was he missing something here?

Or was he delaying both himself and Tarble by assuming that Tarble already knew what straws to grasp at?

"Tarble," Raditz finally tried after some thought, continuing upon noting he had Tarble's full attention. "When you're trying to ascend, what exactly are you thinking about?"

"I'm just thinking about how much I need to ascend in order to avenge my older brother."

Raditz shot him an incredulous look. "You need to dig a little deeper than that; do you remember your thoughts and feelings when you first went SSJ?"

Tarble nodded. "Yeah, when I first went Super Saiyan, I was training with Vegeta in the gravity machine. Or rather I should say it's because of Vegeta that I ascended; I mean he said some things that made me upset but in the end, I did finally ascend."

"Upset, huh?"

To be frank, that wasn't much of a shocker.

That was the same way he got Kakarot to ascend to SSJ.

So perhaps he needed to remind Tarble of that anger he felt back then so as to get him to ascend; as that was most likely how Vegeta and Kakarot obtained SSJ2. They remembered that feeling associated with their first transformation and put that same feeling towards ascending to an even higher level, but it seemed as if Tarble wasn't doing that at all.

Instead of using that same feeling from his first transformation to ascend, he was just trying to focus on the end goal in a much more simplistic way.

Naturally, it wasn't a bad idea, but if they were going to get Tarble to ascend in an decent amount of time, something had to give.

"Why don't you try remembering those feelings from before?"

"You mean when Vegeta made me upset?"

"Precisely." Raditz informed.

Tarble's teal eyes saddened slightly. "Well, back then, Vegeta told me that our mother died by Frieza's hands...not by giving birth to me. Then he also told me that Planet Vegeta was destroyed by Frieza too. I mean it may not seem like much to you, but it felt like my whole life was a lie. I was so angry that I didn't talk to Vegeta for two weeks."

"Remember that feeling and use that as fuel to ascend."

"Okay," Tarble agreed, looking somewhat hopeful. "I'll give it a shot."

"Good." Raditz answered simply.

And if that didn't work, then Raditz was going to have to strike some nerves.

Granted the method may be slightly cruel, but they didn't really have a choice given the situation they were in. There was no telling how much time has passed outside and the longer they remained in here, the more damage Earth was sustaining from Majin Buu. Not to mention that he didn't like how the bond between himself and Lazuli felt incredibly distant.

It was making him anxious and it certainly didn't help that Lazuli was still somewhat stubborn when it came to telling him things as is.

Just like when he found her in their bathroom a few years back.

 _Raditz released a sigh as he tossed his keys on the kitchen counter._

 _It was a tough shift at Club Junpei._ _Then again, tough wasn't the word to describe it seeing as the shift had been more exhausting than anything. After all, one could only tolerate but so much stupidity in one night before it started chipping away at their patience._

 _And so, without further ado, Raditz made his way to his bedroom, pushing open the door as quietly as he could. After all, Lazuli should be sleeping and he didn't want to risk waking her up. Hopefully, he'd be able to get some sleep as well - that way he could continue his routinely training in the morning and so forth; basically, it'd be the same thing just a different day._

 _Though, contrary to what he expected, Lazuli wasn't in their bed at all._

 _Raditz cocked a brow, diverting his eyes over to the bathroom upon noting that said door was cracked._

 _"Lazuli?"_

 _No response._

 _And if possible, Raditz's brow cocked up even more as he trekked further in, eventually wandering into their bathroom._ _And_ _instead of being in their bed, Lazuli was currently hunched over a toilet. What's more is that her features were incredibly pale - paler than usual - and Raditz was quickly making his way over towards her._

 _"Shit! Lazuli!"_

 _18 released a slight groan, weakly lifting her head up. She felt so drained and such a feeling was quite ironic considering that she was supposed to have an unlimited supply of energy. "Raditz? What are you doing home? I was expecting you to be home so soon."_

 _Raditz shot her an incredulous look. "What do you mean what I am doing home? And - " then his eyes narrowed in realization - "what you do mean you weren't expecting me to be home so soon? You make it sound as if this is a normal thing."_

 _18 said nothing in response and Raditz's eyes all but widened seeing as what she left unsaid spoke volumes. "Lazuli," Raditz called out seriously, "How long has this been going on? And just when the hell were you going to tell me? Were you seriously going to keep hiding this from me? "_

 _Despite her appearance, she managed to answer. "It's been going on for a about a week. And I wasn't going to tell you because it's not that big of a deal, I'm sure I just ate something bad."_

 _Raditz wasn't buying it. "If it wasn't that big of a deal, why not tell me? Even after being married, you're still trying to bare things alone? What the hell is the point of having me then? Does 17 even know?"_

 _Lazuli narrowed her icy blue eyes and opened her mouth to respond; however, the blonde was all but hurling out her contents into the toilet bowl instead. And after seeing his wife like this, Raditz couldn't stay mad at the blonde for long. Instead, he sighed, running a hand through his lengthy hair. "I'll be right back; I'm going to call Junpei and tell him I'm not coming in tomorrow. I'm taking you to Bulma's."_

 _He didn't leave anything up for discussion._

" - _AHHHHHH_!"

Raditz snapped out of his reverie upon hearing Tarble's battle cry, his teal eyes focusing back on the smaller male.

Yeah, he definitely needed to get a move on; not only did that trip down memory lane make him worry about his wife even more, but it also made him wonder as to what else was going on. So, all in all, he'd give Tarble some more time to continue trying to ascend on his own via the method of remembering what helped him transform in the first place, and if he didn't ascend by then, then they were going to do things his way.

Which would make Vegeta's method pale in comparison.

~0~

Zazuli kept silent whilst tuning everyone out; after all, she was focused on the power currently surging throughout her being. She felt near unstoppable - as if she could end Majin Buu without any trouble whatsoever. If she was able to take down Majin Buu then there'd be no reason for Raditz to fight, nor for Trunks and Goten to continue training.

Further, they could wish Gohan back and even Vegeta without fail.

Her icy blue eyes flickered onto Piccolo and Krillin, whom were both distracted with making sure the boys got the technique down packed, before diverting onto Yamcha and the others.

They seemed to be discussing something amongst themselves.

 _Good._

So all in all, everyone else seemed equally distracted.

Granted, she had wasted quite the bit of her fusion time already, but she was sure that no one accounted for Chi-Chi and Goku having it out before her and Goku could spar to test her capabilities. Of course, she wouldn't have expected anything less of Goku for bringing up the notion. But since Goku said something about wanting to see if she could push him to SSJ3 seeing as Majin Buu was able to take on a SSJ3 Raditz, Zazuli had to admit that she was quite curious as well.

But what better way to find out than to confront Majin Buu herself?

But, then again, if she waited around to face Goku in order to test her limits and powers, then that'd certainly delay her in stopping Majin Buu, right?

Especially if she ended up tiring out against Goku and needing time to recover.

After all, Goku was by no means a weak individual.

So, what was she waiting on then? Why wasn't her body moving like she wanted it to? Why did she feel somewhat hesitant?

Zazuli pondered on this, searching the depths of her mind in order to answer her own questions. However, she was drawing blanks. She wondered if that was because her mind felt somewhat closed off. Or if was due to something else a little more simplistic?

Like fear?

But with the power she currently felt coursing within her, how could such a feeling exist?

Zazuli tsked in annoyance with herself. There was no time to think. There was time, _however_ , to act.

And without further ado, Zazuli was powering up and taking off; she'd settle this for once and for all.

~ 0 ~

17 smirked, pocketing his winnings without an ounce of hesitation or shame.

This was seriously too easily.

Moreover, who needed a job when one could gamble and earn near _twice_ the earnings in one day? Sometimes even more than that? 17's smirk widened even more if possible as he all but prepared to strike up another joint in a neighboring city. It'd be a missed opportunity on his end if he didn't. Plus, it would help him kill some more time while 18 and the others finished up at the tournament.

Then afterwards, maybe he and the kids could do a bit of gaming.

Marise wasn't really into such a thing as much as Taro, Goten, and Trunks were, but maybe if he bought her a stuffed animal or something, they could call it even.

Then again, Marise had so many as is, perhaps he should ask 18 which ones she _didn't_ have. Distractedly, 17 moved to do just that, pulling his cell phone out of his back pocket and all but flipped it open. Though, upon seeing that he had a few missed calls from his sister, his brow slightly raised in concern.

What was she doing calling him when she was supposed to be participating in the tournament?

The icy-eyed male all but came to a stop in the middle of the street, tapping a few buttons on his phone as he decided to go through his messages as well. If anything, if 18 had called him that many times, then she at least had to send him a few text messages as well.

His theory proved right.

And 17's eyes all but widened at what he was reading.

From the Supreme Kai mysteriously showing up, to the tournament being interrupted by strange men stealing Gohan's energy, to Vegeta killing thousands of people at the tournament, to the threat of Majin Buu and the death of Gohan and Vegeta - _everything_. 17 quick read through the latest messages before pocketing his phone and powering up as he took off towards what his twin sister described as the Lookout.

According to the most recent text, Raditz was training with Tarble in some sort of Hyperbolic Time Chamber and Goku and Piccolo were teaching the boys, 18 and Zangya to fuse. Granted, 18 went into a lot more detail than that, but the only thing 17 seemed to focus on the most was how in the hell anyone could even consider Goten and Trunks battling something that killed Gohan and Vegeta? What were they thinking?

17 didn't care if they were supposed to be a last resort.

They were kids.

And if that wasn't bad enough, even his sister somehow got caught up into their plans as well. Instead of training the boys to fight, why wasn't Goku trying to take Majin Buu down? It would've been one thing if Goku was training with Raditz in the Time Chamber or at least planning to fight Majin Buu after Raditz finished training his SSJ3 form, but it seemed as if everyone had their priorities mixed here.

17 tsked as he powered up to full speed.

His mood to gamble was all but gone.


	23. Chapter 23

A/N: Loving all of the support and feedback! It's much appreciated! Some of you were interested in the convention and that's great - I'm willing to provide advice, ideas, and etc - because it's definitely manageable! Who knows we may even go to the same one and not know it! I go with my brother and make him tag along! I want us to do 17 and 18 cosplay but I doubt he'll do it. :(

Also, I'm probably going to change my Fairy Tail fic to a multi-shot. I lost interest in doing a full out story for it sadly, but I still love GaLe. I'm sorry. Afterwards, I may start the R/18 A/U. Or...just focus on this fic for the time-being. After all, Wave of Return is one of my main priorities right now! I have lots in store for this story!

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Caliban Super Saiyan 0: Definitely! That's pretty disturbing and slightly traumatizing if you look at it from 17's end.

Gamelover41592: Thanks! Hopefully I delivered to your expectations a bit with this chapter!

a guy1013: Thanks!

coldblue2015: I'm in the process of PM'ing you in response to your review!

Abyss Trinity: Thanks!

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Oh, one last thing! I kinda picture "Dragon Ball Kai - Fusion's Theme" being a good track for Zazuli in this chapter. I certainly listened to it.

(1) credit goes to coldblue2015; it's an attack that combines Zangya's Trap Blaster and 18's Infinity Bullet.

* * *

Chapter 23: Where Do We Go From Here?

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Dear Kami.

Had Majin Buu really managed to destroy this much of the Earth in such a short amount of time?

Needless to say, everything looked absolutely horrendous.

There were buildings laying atop of buildings and even atop of cars, not to mention the roads were loitered with massive craters and cracks and there was even some parts of the city covered in flames if not utterly destroyed. Further, there were countless, abandoned items loitered about such as phones, briefcases, purses, hats and other personal items. Though, if anything stood out to her the most, it was the lone stuffed teddy bear cast off to the side. For a reason Zazuli couldn't place, the sight alone made her heart tug.

Then again, perhaps it was Lazuli that was responsible for such an reaction seeing as Lazuli was the one that had twin kids, two nephews, and a husband.

Zazuli calmly looked down on the city beneath her, her icy eyes taking in everything as she continued heading towards an unsuspecting Majin Buu.

Was there a reason she wasn't seeing any bodies scattered about?

It wasn't as if she wanted to see dead bodies per say, but if Majin Buu had did this much damage, shouldn't there be a sign of a body or two around at least? Or possibly even more? Yet there was hardly anything at all. Something was odd here and it near reminded her of Cell in a way, but there was no way that Majin Buu could be absorbing humanity for the sake of their energy, right?

Was he even capable of such a thing?

Perhaps it would have been smart to wait for Raditz to finish his training so as to ask him about Majin Buu's fighting style, or at least ask Raditz about how Majin Buu's powers before he went in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber.

But seeing as she was already down here, chances were that she was going to have to figure that out on her own.

Zazuli harrumphed.

Soon as she found that disgusting creature, it wouldn't matter what his capabilities were, all that would matter is that he would perish by her hands. That was the whole reason she decided to pursue him anyway. And having reminded herself of such a thing, the green-skinned warrior immersed herself in a white aura once more, quickly powering up in order to gain momentum.

She ended up doing the same thing earlier as soon as she left the Lookout, powering up so that she could quickly catch up to Majin Buu. Though, considering he was quite deep within the city, it wasn't as if she had a choice if she wanted to quickly dispose of him - otherwise, it would have probably taken her quite the time to reach her intended target.

However, at this rate, she certainly didn't have too much longer before she'd reach Majin Buu.

~ 0 ~

"I can't believe Zazuli took off!"

The Namekian was visibly displeased - so much so that those that witnessed his outburst wasn't quite sure how to respond. But given how he was feeling at the moment, Piccolo didn't care. How could Zazuli have been so arrogant? If anything, that was something he expected of the boys fusing - _not_ something he expected from Zangya and 18; after all, they weren't kids and they were certainly old enough to know better.

Did he misjudge them?

Krillin, wide-eyed and equally nervous, swallowed a bit before speaking. "Um, maybe she'll be fine, Piccolo. I mean this is 18 and Zangya we're talking about here, right? It's not like it's Goten and Trunks per say."

Piccolo's black eyes were quick to narrow and divert onto Krillin's, "That's besides the point. I would have much preferred her to spar with Goku or at least test her capabilities compared to her just taking off. Doesn't she realize that she's not even going to have the full fusion time on her hands? Plus she has no insight on how Majin Buu fights. What in the world was she thinking? If she was _thinking_ at all that is."

Goten and Trunks shared a glance, a silent conversation seemingly going on between the two boys.

"Well," Master Roshi interjected, distractedly rubbing his hand down his beard as he mulled over a few things here and there, "I understand your frustration, Piccolo, but there's nothing we can do at the moment but hope for the best with Zazuli and continue pushing forward with our other plans."

At Master Roshi's words, Piccolo exhaled soundlessly in an attempt to gain his composure back. After all, Master Roshi was right. Now that Zazuli was gone - albeit prematurely - all they really could do was focus on their other plans. If things went bad for some reason, they still had Raditz and Tarble in the Time Chamber and then they still had the boys as a last resort. Further, for better or for worse, Goku was still here too, so if things went south with Zazuli taking on Majin Buu, then Goku could at least instant transmission to their location.

Hopefully whatever mess Goku created with Chi-Chi would be cleaned up by then lest they'd have other problems on their hands.

It was bad enough that Goku and Chi-Chi had to pick _now_ out of all times to discuss their marriage, but things may not be as bad as they seem just yet.

"You're right," Piccolo finally agreed. "For now, Krillin and I will continue working on the fusion technique with the boys."

Krillin shrugged. "Sounds like a plan."

"Then should we tell Goku about - "

" - No." Piccolo quickly interrupted, eyes cutting over to Yamcha. "Leave them be for now. If something comes up, _then_ we'll fetch Goku."

~0~

"Chi-Chi." Goku called out hesitantly, "I'm really not good at things like this and I never have been, so I'm really sorry if I don't understand." Then Goku paused as if considering his next words, "But I really won't know when there's an issue if you don't tell me."

Chi-Chi's eyes shot over to Goku's black ones in disbelief. Was he kidding her? He had no right to play this card. After all, she has _always_ expressed when something was wrong upfront. And every time she did so, he would just dismiss her or brush her off.

As if what she wanted for their family didn't matter.

As if _she_ was the one being unfair or in the wrong or something.

In fact, one of the many instances of such was when she told Goku she didn't want Gohan training or fighting yet it still happened anyway. Or when she told Goku that she didn't want Gohan around some of his friends, yet Goku still took him to the Kame Island anyway and then Raditz ended up kidnapping him that same day.

 _Then,_ if that wasn't bad enough already, Goku ended up dying and her Gohan _still_ didn't come home.

Chi-Chi could go on and on if she wanted to and if she wasn't feeling exhausted from everything that took place today already, then perhaps she would have done so. However, the moral of the story has always been that Goku will always go against her wishes and would forever be willing to go behind her back at times to make it happen anyhow.

Why couldn't he see that?

And just what was so hard to understand?

It wasn't as if she was asking Goku for the world here. She was just asking him to be a little more devoted to his family. She wanted to feel and know that she was loved every once and a while too.

Why couldn't he have more passion and vigor towards his family like he did when it came to fighting or saving the world?

Why couldn't they have the same amount of passion that Vegeta and Bulma had?

Chi-Chi's shoulders sagged, diverting over to her husband's black eyes as she finally responded. "I do tell you, Goku. Countless times. It's to the point where I don't even feel heard at times; I wasn't always the type to yell you know. It's just sometimes I feel like that's the only way to get through to you." And then when silence befell them, Chi-Chi released the breath she hadn't been aware she had been holding in, searching his black eyes with her own black ones, "Goku...don't you feel anything for me at all?"

Goku frowned. "Huh? Of course I do."

Chi-Chi shot him a look that clearly stated that she didn't believe him. "I'm being _serious_ , Goku. Is it too much to ask of you...to show that you care about your family? To show that you care about _me_ a little more?"

Goku's frown all but deepened, his features somewhat guilty, "Geez, I'm sorry Chi. I know you didn't want me to apologize, but I think it would be better if you'd tell me what you want from me so I can work towards making things right. I guess I kinda assumed that taking care of the world and making sure everything was fine with Earth meant that you and kids would be fine too. But from what you're telling me, maybe I should've dug a little deeper, huh?"

Chi-Chi said nothing in response, or rather she wasn't quite sure what to say. She had been so upset with him earlier and had harbored so much negativity towards him, yet when it came down to it...she really did love him. Was one small conversation, side-by-side like this, really enough to smooth things over? Was she pathetic?

Either way, she couldn't deny the feelings he was currently stirring within her even if she wanted to; it has always been like this with him now that she thought about it.

"Hey, Chi," Goku called out gently, placing a hand atop of her thigh. "How about when all of this is over...we do something fun together?"

At the suggestion, Chi-Chi's eyes lit up. "Really? You really mean it, Goku?"

Goku offered a nod of confirmation, a small smile on his features. "Of course! It'll be fun, right? It'll be just like the old times when it was just you and me; I promise, Chi."

"Oh Goku." Chi-Chi murmured. "I'd love that."

Goku looked somewhat relieved. "Then, are we...okay?"

With Goku looking at her like that, how could Chi-Chi possibly say no.

"Yeah," She finally answered, unable to stop the smile on her features from widening even if she wanted to; she felt like a school girl for crying out loud. "We're okay."

~0~

Zazuli harrumphed, running a hand through her luscious blonde curls as she touched down on the shattered pavement.

Lo and behold, there he was.

"Run!"

"It's him! He'll kill us all!"

"Hurry! Let's go!"

But unlike them, Zazuli wasn't running away and she was utterly unfazed by the countless people running past her in order to get away from the pink creature. If anything, it looked as if he had destroyed the town's confectionery and not only had Majin Buu scared those that had been in the store, but he had also managed to scare away the town's inhabitants as well.

What's more is that the creature had the audacity to parole down the streets stuffing his face with sweets.

Had he not killed Gohan and Vegeta and nearly killed Raditz, she wouldn't have been able to take him seriously at all.

"Hmm?" Buu drawled out slowly, distractedly shoving the rest of his sweets in his mouth as he came to a stop parallel to Zazuli. "Buu never seen you before. Who you?"

"That's not important." Zazuli answered calmly. "Seeing as your little fun ends here."

Buu peeked open his eyes in just the slightest of ways. "Buu fun no more?"

Zazuli merely smirked in response, slowing spreading her orange and black boots apart as she raised a hand towards the confused creature. "Infinity Blaster (1)!

Majin Buu didn't even know what hit him, childishly squealing as Zazuli fired out one-handed barrage of magenta energy ki blasts.

From the mere effort alone, Zazuli's white pants and blue denim sash tied around her waist whipped backwards, dust and debris kicking up as she relentlessly continued her assault on her child-like opponent. With each blast she unleashed upon Majin Buu, the creature was continuously pierced as well as forced backwards from the sheer force of said attacks.

If this was the best he could do, then this certainly wouldn't last long.

Zazuli's smirk increased, taking in his childish squeals with delight.

Finally, she relented but only to take in her handiwork; and as fate would have it, Majin Buu was loitered with countless holes and would more or less fall onto his back any minute now. Though, Zazuli wasn't patient nor kind enough to wait around, all but rushing her opponent and slamming her knee into his face.

"Oomph!"

Zazuli watched as her pudgy opponent stumbled backwards a bit, before gracefully touching down with a back flip and quickly hovering a hand over his chest. "Power Blitz!"

Near instantaneously, the being of whom was already loitered with holes, Majin Buu hurled backwards and slammed into building after building, further destroying the abandoned city. Relentlessly, Zazuli phased out of sight, appearing behind Majin Buu and executed a solid twirl kick.

Majin Buu barely had time to completely regenerate before he was roughly colliding with the pavement beneath them, skidding to an eventual halt with a childish-like grunt.

Coolly, a mid-air Zazuli hovered over the fallen male with a palm facing the blue skies, collecting a massive trio of magenta-colored energy spheres in the center. Then, as soon as she gathered enough ki, Zazuli slammed her hand down, "Tri Galactic Canon!"

The three magenta spheres morphed into one huge energy wave, spiraling down towards the fallen male.

Upon contact, the surrounding area heartily rumbled and Zazuli watched as her attack shattered the pavement beneath Buu before ultimately forcing him down into a Buu-sized hole of which greatly extended beyond her sight. There was no telling how far down he was nor how deep the hole went into the Earth's core, but Zazuli kept her eyes peeled, squinting them in just the slightest of ways in a futile attempt to see through the thick cloud of smoke and debris.

Nothing.

Zazuli released a small noise of annoyance.

"You strong. Buu thinks you real strong, but it's Buu's turn now."

Zazuli cocked a blonde brow, whirling around just in time to fend off his punch with a punch of her own. From the collision of their fists, a notable shock-wave formed and even though Buu said he was going to go on the offensive, Zazuli was the first to move. Blonde curls whipping slightly from the movement, Zazuli dipped under and moved to catch Buu with a fist to the midsection; however, the pink creature easily allowed her attack to connect.

Her eyes widened in slight confusion as he didn't even bother to evade her punch.

But by the time she realized what Buu was up to, it was far too late; Majin Buu had all but morphed his stomach around her fist before opening his mouth and firing out a green energy wave from his mouth. Zazuli was quick to evade the close-range attack with the tilt of her head, eyes all but narrowing upon noting that some of her curls were singed from the attack in the process.

"You _feen_." Zazuli insulted, skillfully pivoting so that she was upside down. Easily, she slammed her knee down atop his head. "You'll pay for that."

Though, while the action was enough for Buu to release her hand from his gut, the male still managed to recover quickly. He positioned a hand towards the upside down blonde-haired warrior. "Saturday Crush!"

Zazuli's eyes widened in surprise. That was Raditz's attack. Not only did his regenerative capabilities far exceed what she expected, but he was capable of mimicking other's attacks as well? Despite being surprised, she managed to cross her arms over her chest in the last minute in order to brace against said attack. Apparently however, Majin Buu expected her to do so an action, all but rushing the green-skinned warrior and swinging his pink arm down upon the green beauty.

Zazuli grunted, hurling towards the ground from the attack; however, she was quick to right herself before she could slam into the ground.

Was he finally taking her seriously?

The galactic-android beauty didn't have time to further explore such thoughts as he was quickly putting her on the receiving end of a barrage of ki blasts. Quickly, with a push of the foot as a means of a boost, Zazuli ascended to the skies all but maneuvering in and out of his attacks with a grace only she could provide.

Relentlessly, Buu phased in above her and inhaled noticeably before quickly exhaling and unleashing hellish winds upon the blonde beauty below him.

In response, Zazuli summoned a green barrier around her slender form, noting that the winds did significant damage to the already near destroyed city. If anything, it all but _pulverized_ all of the pavement in their surrounding area.

Even she couldn't help but admire the sheer power behind such an attack.

There was certainly a lot more to this creature than she originally thought and if she wanted to finish this within her allotted time, then perhaps she ought to take him more seriously as well. Not to mention that if they continued their fight at their current rate, then this would more than likely carry on for more than she would like it to.

So without further ado, Zazuli dropped her barrier and spread her legs apart whilst crossing her forearms over her face, her luscious blonde curls slowly rising as she powered up. The sight alone near defied gravity, but once she was finished, Zazuli outstretched either of arms to the side as she summoned forth ki in either of her feminine hands.

With a light grunt, Zazuli crossed her arms over and slung two ki blasts forwards. "Galactic Encirclement!"

Majin Buu tilted his head in curiosity, watching as the magenta ki blasts multiplied and just like the name implied, eventually circled around him.

And then, all of the ki blasts dissuaded into a relentless barrage of thin, piercing beams - of which induced childish cries from her opponent.

Yet again, Majin Buu's being was ultimately embedded with holes - though, unlike earlier, there were much smaller in size but equally powerful.

 _"And,_ " Zazuli confidently tacked on as she positioned either of her palms towards Majin Buu, "Take this! Psycho Thread!"

Like the name suggested, threads appeared seemingly out of thin air of which all but entangled the deceivingly innocent creature where he stood. To anyone looking on, the sight of Majin Buu moving about - albeit with a struggle - mirrored that of an insect caught in the web of a spider. At the sight, Zazuli proudly smirked.

After all, she had her opponent right where she wanted him.

Not only did those threads successfully restrain any enemy, but they also succeeded in draining the opponent's energy. In addition, struggling against said attack only made it worse.

Well, for her opponent that is.

The poor soul didn't even seem to know better - or rather, he wasn't smart enough to see through her attack. Though, even if he did, there was certainly no way to save him from her.

Zazuli released a feminine chuckle as she faced a palm towards the sky, slowly collecting ki in the center of her green palm. At first it started off as the size of Earth dragon ball, but then slowly but surely increased in size.

To that of a dragon ball of Planet Namek and then even beyond that.

And just as she all but prepared to release it, her threads dissipated as did her finishing attack.

"My threads...are gone?"

Zazuli was utterly confused and it was clear as day on her features. What in the world happened? And why did she feel somewhat different? Fortunately for her, her questions were quickly answered.

"Huh?" 18 inquired wide-eyed, her icy eyes taking in her features. "I'm in my own body again."

Zangya's eyes were equally wide. "The fusion...wore off? But that doesn't make sense, I thought we had more time."

"So did I." Android 18 stated plainly, "But either way, Majin Buu is still alive and we're back to square one."

Zangya rolled her eyes at the blonde on her side. "Well, _obviously_. Maybe you weren't able to keep up with me after all; I am stronger than you. That's probably why the fusion wore off."

Android 18's eyes narrowed. "Don't get ahead of yourself."

Zangya smirked tauntingly. "Can't handle the truth, _Princess_?"

At Zangya's words - or rather, Zangya's word choice, 18's eyes all but widened in surprise before she was all but narrowing them threateningly. "Call me that again and I _will_ kill you."

Zangya said nothing in response; however, it was clear that she was thoroughly amused. Meanwhile, 18 was trying to figure out how in the world Zangya knew about that name. That was the nickname her husband had for her and if anyone did piece two and two together or overhear him call her that, no one dared to call her that to her face.

Except Zangya apparently.

So did she overhear Raditz call her that? Or did she find out that information due to being fused together? Was such a thing even possible? She could have sworn she put up certain barriers within her mind prior to them fusing. Android 18 'tsked' as she was beyond irritated; she was so through with today as it was just one thing after another.

Though, with Majin Buu currently charging them, it looks like she didn't have a choice but to put up with things for a little while longer.


	24. Chapter 24

A/N: The support/feedback is very much appreciated!

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Gamelover41592: Thanks! And Zazuli didn't head for Buu right after fusing and, not to mention, it did take her sometime to get there as well as other factors.

coldblue2015: PM'ing you!

Abyss Trinity: Yes, definitely! I'm hoping to explore that some more with Zangya and 18. And I can't say that I blame you; I'm happy with how Goku/Chi-Chi turned out for the time-being.

* * *

Chapter 24: Green Is The Color of Envy

* * *

"You not who Buu was fighting."

Despite his child-like behavior, it was obvious to 18 and Zangya that Majin Buu wasn't as ignorant as he came off to be. If anything, Majin Buu had all but halted mid-charge, his head tilted towards the side as he regarded the two wide-eyed women in curiosity.

"How cute." Zangya replied with a light smirk after recovering, "You noticed."

And before Majin Buu could form any sort of response, Zangya was quickly executing a sound twirl kick.

Upon collision, Majin Buu released a child-like grunt as he hurled backwards and Zangya quickly followed it up with a few green ki blasts to boot. Then, her blue eyes diverted onto 18's icy ones. "Well?"

18's eyes narrowed in just the slightest of ways. "I'm not fusing with you again."

Zangya's shot 18 a knowing glance, her smirk all but widening. "It's not like I want to fuse with you either; you're far weaker than I am."

"Oh?" 18 inquired with a cocked brow. "I suppose that's why Bojack wanted to recruit me in place of you then? That makes _perfect_ sense."

Zangya's eyes all but widened at 18's harsh words, her pretty features morphing into that of pure hatred moments later. Did 18 seriously say what she thought she just said? If anything, 18 had it _all_ wrong; she had been caught off guard back then.

Nothing more, nothing less.

Otherwise, Bojack wouldn't have said such a thing.

"I'd watch my mouth if I were you, _girl;_ It's clear you don't know who you're talking to."

18 was unfazed by Zangya's threat, stoically continuing with her sarcasm. "Then by all means, please enlighten me."

Zangya's eyes narrowed further, but the two women didn't have too much longer to argue as Majin Buu had all but recovered and phased in before them. Both women startled lightly at the sheer speed their opponent had just displayed, but that wasn't quite the end of it as Majin Buu had all but struck both women in a blur. In response, 18 and Zangya spluttered up blood as they slammed into the ground at ferocious speeds.

For a being of his size, he was quite fast.

And further testament to this was when he quickly set to pursuing the women before they could so much as stand up.

Even so, the beautiful space warrior refused to be outdone as she all but dusted herself off with a scowl. Afterwards, she quickly spread her yellow and black boots apart whilst outstretching either of her arms, then she hurriedly slung them forwards, "Psycho Threads!"

Yet again, thin thread-like material seemingly appeared out of thin-air and all but entangled itself around Majin Buu; however, unlike when they were fused together, the threads didn't seem to have as much as an effect. Or was that just her imagination? Surely, her psycho threads were and would always be formidable against anyone, right?

Meanwhile, 18 found the strength to jump into action again, phasing out of sight and appearing above the pudgy male. It was more than clear that her and Zangya were better off fusing in order to take down Majin Buu, but she couldn't bring it upon herself to fuse with someone that was as intrusive and arrogant as Zangya. It was like Zangya found anyway possible in order to deliberately get under her skin.

18 ceased her thoughts, summoning a pink energy sphere to her hands and slinging it towards him, " _HA!"_

Just like 18 wanted, Majin Buu slammed into the ground beneath them all and she quickly set to firing out a continuous barrage of attacks. It was none other than her infinity bullet and with her unlimited stamina supply she could keep up her attack for as long as needed. Granted, the fusion with Zangya was more ideal, but she had advantages of her own as well.

~0~

"They're being stubborn." Piccolo noted from where he stood as he observed the two woman taking on Majin Buu. "I'm sure they're well aware that they stand no chance against Majin Buu as they are. Just what do they think they're doing?"

"Well I mean it's really no secret that they don't like each other."

"Still," Piccolo insisted, his eyes trained on the current fight. "They put their differences aside the first time in order to fuse, what makes this time any different?"

Krillin fell quiet, seemingly unable to provide an answer for Piccolo's question this time around.

"Not only that," Piccolo continued, disregarding Krillin's silence. "They would definitely have a better advantage fusing the second time around; this time they would have the _full_ fusion time and they've already battled with Majin Buu to some extent, so they have an idea of Majin Buu's fighting style up close."

"Yeah," Krillin agreed. "That is true. I'm just wondering why the fusion time went by so quickly."

"Well aside from the fact that they didn't confront Majin Buu with the full fusion time on their hands, there could also be the problem of how much ki is exerted whilst fusing."

"I guess that makes sense." Krillin agreed.

And before the two males could continue conversing any further, Goku was trekking up towards the two.

"By the sound of things," Goku interjected, "I guess it's safe to assume that they've already tested the fusion out for a bit." Then the Saiyan warrior was offering a nervous smile, "Though I must say, even if they did try to fuse again right now, it wouldn't work."

Piccolo's eyes near bulged at the information, whipping his head around to face Goku. "What? What do you mean it wouldn't work?"

Goku smiled sheepishly. "I was so concerned with just explaining the basics and getting into everything, that I may have forgotten to mention that it usually takes an hour to fuse again after defusing."

"An hour?!" Piccolo repeated incredulously. "Is it even possible for 18 and Zangya to last that long against Majin Buu? The creature that was able to take on a SSJ3 Raditz?"

"Well here's the thing," Goku began oddly serious. "I've been thinking and Raditz's SSJ3 form isn't quite mastered. I mean let's face it, Raditz said so himself that he can only maintain his SSJ3 form for 30 minutes."

"That is quite the handicap when you put it like that." Krillin mulled thoughtfully.

Goku nodded once. "Exactly and quite frankly, I'm sure things would have been a lot different if Raditz didn't have a time-limit."

"I see," Piccolo answered after a brief period of silence. "Perhaps it's due to that same time-limit, that he may have even felt somewhat pressured into thinking that self-destructing was his only option."

"Perhaps." Goku justified. "And considering that some of that time may have also went to figuring out Majin Buu's fighting style."

"So," Krillin asked cautiously, "Are you saying that there's a chance that Raditz can take on Majin Buu in SSJ3?"

"Definitely." Goku confirmed. "If anything, I'm sure I could take Majin Buu as he is now in my SSJ3 form."

Krillin cocked a brow. "Then why bother training the boys or Zangya and 18 to fuse?"

Goku mirrored Krillin's action, cocking a black brow. "What do you mean? Did you forget that if I were to go SSJ3 in this world, I'd practically drain the rest of my time here on Earth. That itself would be somewhat of a handicap. Besides, as long as Raditz is able to maintain his SSJ3 form, I'm more than confident that Raditz can take him; obviously, it's going to take Raditz time to get to that point however hence training in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber."

"Not to mention Majin Buu is no doubt a powerful opponent and I was pretty certain that the Fusion technique be advantageous in the meantime."

"Well," Piccolo interjected before Krillin could respond, "Majin Buu is certainly a powerful opponent and it's only logical to have multiple ways of defeating him. I mean we all remembered what happened with Cell. Cell kept growing stronger and stronger, and while multiple factors played a role into that such as him being able to absorb others and even the androids, whose to say that Majin Buu isn't capable of such? We need to be careful. Even Frieza had multiple forms and we _need_ to have multiple plans to account for the unknown."

Krillin said nothing in response, seemingly mulling over everything in silence.

"Anyway," Goku tacked on whilst his black eyes scanned the Lookout briefly, "Where are the boys?"

"Bulma insisted that they take a break about ten minutes ago, so they're no doubt with her for right now. To be honest, I wanted them to keep training, but Bulma is rather - "

Goku chuckled before Piccolo could finish, piecing two and two together. " - No need to explain, Piccolo. Bulma can be quite scary at times, just like Chi-Chi."

Piccolo grunted, but said nothing in response.

~0~

Meanwhile, Gohan couldn't help but shoot the Supreme Kai a weird glance, diverting his black eyes back onto the huge rock smack dab in the middle of the Kai's planet. "I'm supposed to pull a sword out of a rock?"

"Well, ultimately, yes," The Supreme Kai agreed, "however, it's much more to it than that, Gohan. Remember the very sword itself is just like I explained earlier; you'll gain access to its legendary power."

From behind Shin, Kibito's frown deepened even more. It was clear he wasn't exactly pleased with how things were turning out. After all, he just didn't understand how the Supreme Kai could bring a mortal to such a _sacred_ place. Sure, he would always be behind the Supreme Kai one hundred percent, especially as his assistant, but was this really necessary?

And if it was, it was certainly uncomfortable to say the least.

Unbeknownst to Shin, his next words words roused Kibito out of his thoughts. "Gohan, while this may seem unusual at the moment; you'll soon understand the significance of what were doing. And if you don't understand now, you'll definitely understand when the time comes to face Majin Buu."

Gohan offered the Supreme Kai a small smile. "Well it's not that I don't understand per say, I guess I just have some doubts is all."

"Well while I certainly have no right to tell you how to feel, I would greatly appreciate it if you trusted me on this at least."

And before Gohan could respond, Kibito was finally speaking his mind it seemed. "Shin-sama, do you really think that a mortal can remove that sword?"

The Supreme Kai frowned, diverting his eyes onto Kibito. "Why of course, Kibito. I have the utmost faith in Gohan and perhaps soon you will see what I see inside of Gohan as well."

Kibito looked as if he wanted to protest more, but wisely decided against it in the end. After all, even if he did have doubts and a few things he disliked about the situation, he still ought to know his place. Still, who would have ever known that today would have led to such events?

"Very well." He reluctantly agreed.

~0~

Videl sighed.

Today's events were really enough to give her quite the headache - somehow, however, she was still managing to do without. Even so, she couldn't believe that Gohan had been killed by such a creature.

Or so they were saying.

And it wasn't as if she was _trying_ to be in denial like many may think; in actually, it was a lot more simpler than that. If anything, she just refused to believe that Gohan was dead. She couldn't explain it, but both her gut and her heart were telling her that Gohan wasn't dead. So, naturally, it had to be so, right? After all, her gut and heart has never steered her wrong in life before, so why should she expect it to start failing her now out of all times?

Videl's purple eyes saddened slightly as her thoughts continued.

If only she had been there, then maybe she could have made a difference.

Granted, as Zangya none-too-kindly pointed out, she was still learning how to fly, but how would Zangya know that she would have been entirely useless in that situation? From what she gathered, Zangya wasn't even there. And just who did she _think_ she was anyway? For one, she was implying that she was weak and Videl didn't know if it was in Zangya's nature to look down on people in general or what, but whatever problem she had needed to be _fixed_ immediately.

Otherwise, she wouldn't be as lenient next time.

Videl's eyes narrowed at the memory and before she was aware of it, someone was all but plopping down beside her.

"Videl?" Bulma called out lightly.

Videl's eyes perked up slightly, diverting her attention onto the blue-haired woman. "Bulma?"

Bulma offered a light smile. "Why are you sitting over here by yourself? You don't have to be alone, you know."

Videl smiled weakly. "I know; I'm just thinking is all."

"Ah," Bulma responded teasingly, "about Gohan I assume?"

Videl flamed up slightly at the mention of Gohan, but managed to keep her composure somewhat. "Well, yeah, but not in the way that you're thinking; I just still don't believe he's dead is all."

Bulma fell quiet and Videl found herself slowly becoming absorbed within the inner workings of her mind yet again. Maybe another reason she didn't believe Gohan to be dead was because she _really_ cared about him. Sure, their relationship started off completely one-sided as he didn't even know she existed until she started blackmailing him, but she'd like to say that their relationship eventually matured into something that wasn't so one-sided at least.

If anything, she could definitely tell that Gohan cared about her and valued their relationship.

But anything further that was an enigma to her.

Especially since he told everyone at the tournament that they were just friends - which admittingly struck her heart in ways she couldn't imagine - but she just didn't have the heart to talk to him about it at the time. And did she really have a right to bring something like that up in the first place? She did blackmail him after all and it wasn't as if their relationship started off on good terms in the first place.

And that alone made her feel guilty and undeserving of the feelings she held for him.

If she was sure Erasa wouldn't tell everyone around school about her dilemma, then perhaps she would confide in her about what was going on. But, nothing against Erasa or any of her friends, she just ultimately wasn't comfortable with discussing her feelings with anyone but Gohan.

"Well," Bulma began suddenly, rising to her feet again, "If you need to talk at any time, don't hesitate to let me know; I'm going to go head back to where Chi-Chi is and check on the boys and twins again, okay?"

And at Videl's nod, Bulma moved to do just that.

~0~

"What a pain." 18 mumbled, her hair in slight disarray. Majin Buu's regenerative capabilities were on an entirely different level - one of which she didn't think was possible. And at this rate, as much as she hated to admit it, her and Zangya would have to fuse.

18's eyes diverted onto the woman at her side, taking in her features with a quick sweep.

Then again, considering that Zangya was noticeably tired and didn't have unlimited stamina like her, they were probably past that option for the time-being.

And taking on Majin Buu as they were probably wasn't helping in the slightest.

"Don't underestimate me." Zangya stated with narrowed eyes and furrowed brows. "Unlike you, I'm a galaxy solider - belonging to the race of Hera. I've always been a warrior from the start; I'm not some _child_ that was turned into an Android."

Android 18's eyes widened as she all but grasped Zangya by the collar before she could so much as process her own thoughts. "What all did you see?"

Zangya's blue eyes widened in slight surprise, but then she was all but forcibly removing herself out of 18's grasp. The orange-haired solider all but snorted at 18's audacity, before her usual smirk took over her pretty features. "Oh? Is your past a sore subject for you?"

"Answer my question." 18 demanded easily.

Zangya's blue eyes lowered teasingly. "What does it matter? It's obvious you've had quite the past. Though it does look like things got better after marrying that hunk; he's cute."

"So what?" 18 bit out in irritation.

Zangya's smirk widened. "Maybe he needs someone other than you; you can't even be honest with yourself at times and you're far from feminine."

"And you're implying that _you_ would be better for my husband?"

The girl's argument paused for the time-being as Majin Buu had all but interrupted:

"Pow, Pow, Pow!"

The pink creature appeared before both women and released his ki blast from the center of his hand. And at such close-range, there was no way that either of them would survive that. Thinking quickly, 18 quickly summoned a barrier around the two of them, both women flying backwards upon 18's barrier cracking under the sheer force of his attack. Granted, her barrier lessened some of the impact, but the damage was done.

18 hacked up blood, weakly sitting herself up.

The blonde could only guess that Zangya was in the same condition seeing as her eyes were rapidly scanning the area for Majin Buu instead; at the moment, Zangya was the furthest thing from her mind.

Ultimately, there was no trace of him.

Just where could he have gone in such a short amount of time though? And why did he seem to be getting progressively stronger the longer this fight drawled out?

18 couldn't help but wonder if it had anything to do with the fact that he had been sealed away for so long; hypothetically, he would obviously be somewhat rusty at first, right? Or was she just overthinking here?

"Above!"

18's eyes widened, quickly pulling back with a few flips and out of the way of a energy wave.

Then, Buu was phasing in behind 18 and delivering a solid punch her way. In response, 18 whirled around and summoned a partial barrier in the nick of time. Naturally, it shattered upon impact, but it upheld long enough for her to distance herself yet again at least.

Even so, Majin Buu was persistent as he all but rushed the blonde.

"Infinity Bullet!"

Again, 18 was putting Majin Buu on a rapid onslaught of blue ki spheres whilst ascending to the skies above in the process. Though her opponent was easily maneuvering in and out of her ki blasts as he all but ascended as well; it certainly didn't help that he made it look effortless.

18 'tsked', but didn't give up there.

"Kaaamehame - Haa!" Buu childishly roared, firing out an all too familiar energy wave towards her.

Again, 18's eyes widened; however, she managed to recover enough to narrowly dodge it.

Unfortunately, that was just as Majin Buu expected, shooting her a bone-chilling grin as he quickly appeared in before her and slammed his fist into stomach. 18's eyes near bulged from the direct hit, spluttering up even more blood as she buckled over. Roughly, Majin Buu flung her down towards the ground and relentlessly pursed her and all but forced her down with his body weight the remaining way.

18 cried out, now pinned down within a massive crater courtesy of Majin Buu's weight.

"Slipping, aren't you?" Zangya couldn't help but taunt after recovering, firing out red finger beams towards Majin Buu in the process. "I guess I shouldn't expect much of someone that's not a _true_ warrior."

Given the situation, 18 didn't bother replying to female, maneuvering a hand from underneath Majin Buu while he was somewhat focused on Zangya. Easily, having take advantage of he situation, Android 18 all but firing out a pink energy sphere directly in Majin Buu's face. "Saturday Crush!"

Majin Buu squealed, toppling backwards from the ki blast to the face and Zangya quickly slammed her leg into his face, watching as he hurled backwards from the attack.

Though, the male was quickly flipping onto his feet mid-hurl and grasping a huge chunk of his midsection and slinging it towards Zangya and 18 of whom were currently charging him. Both girls, in order to evade the pink rope-like matter hurling towards them, wisely veered off from the other to avoid capture. Majin Buu hummed childishly in slight confusion, seemingly unable to decide which one of the girls he should pursue.

And Zangya certainly wasn't against taking advantage of his confusion all but executing a sound baseball slide out of no where and kicking his legs from underneath him.

From above and blonde hair fiercely whipping backwards in the process, 18 dropped her knee atop of his back and forced him deeper into the small crater he formed upon falling forwards. Further, using his back as a spring board of sorts, 18 propelled herself upwards with a push of the foot whilst summoning two ki blasts in either of her hands and slamming them together.

Zangya, of whom was now behind Majin Buu and seated on her backside, formed ki blasts of her own in her hands as well.

 _"HAA!"_ Both girls exclaimed simultaneously.

A mid-air 18 took in their handiwork in silence, her thoughts seemingly running a mile a minute.

And rightly so.

After all, 18 couldn't help but mull over how she wanted this to be over and done with already. She was a wife, an aunt, a sister and she was a mother at the end of the day; this being, no matter how innocent he may look, couldn't be out on the loose. He had already taken away her eldest nephew and she didn't want Goten nor Trunks to have to encounter such a being.

Oddly enough, that dream - no, _nightmare_ \- was still at the back of her head.

Now more so than ever it seemed.

The puddle of blood, the dead bodies she's seen...she could still recall the vividness of it all.

Android 18 near shuddered, a desperation creeping within her that hasn't reared its ugly head since Vegeta cornered her many years back in order to allow Cell to absorb her. Why couldn't she rid herself of these feelings? Why did she still feel uneasy despite everything? Despite their multiple plans and despite Raditz currently training in the Time Chamber? There had to be some reason that she had completely disregarded her husband's wishes back then the moment she and Zangya fused, right?

From the moment she had that nightmare, these feelings have haunted and trailed her.

"Hey!" Zangya called out, flying towards the blonde and halting at her side. "Are we fusing again or what? I'm not going to ask you again; it's practically your fault that we're here in the first place."

18 blinked, snapping out of her stupor. "The fusion has probably taken quite the energy out of you. Not to mention we've been engaging Majin Buu for sometime afterwards."

 _"And?_ " Zangya prodded.

"Don't be stupid." 18 insulted easily. "Why don't you take a good look at yourself?"

Zangya harrumphed. "I don't need your concerns; I'm the one stronger than you, remember?"

"Do we really have to go through this again?" 18 inquired stoically.

Unfortunately, before Zangya could so much as respond, she found herself struck by a purple beam and immersed within a purple aura to boot. At Zangya's pained cries, 18 could do nothing but watch on with wide eyes as Zangya was transformed into what appeared to be a Zangya-like bar of chocolate.

"She's...chocolate now? How is such a thing...possible?"

"Hmm!" Buu hummed childishly as he happily skipped his way towards Zangya, scooping up the bar of chocolate and tossing it in his mouth. "Yummy! Buu want more!"

And at the sight of Buu's eyes opening in just the slightest of ways, 18 felt her heart drop.


	25. Chapter 25

A/N: Support/feedback much appreciated! Thanks! Also, we're quickly approaching when Super Buu makes his appearance! Currently working on chapter 26!

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FutureHendrix: Thanks! I appreciate that!

Gamelover41592: Tell me about it! Zazuli was certainly a handful and Maron and everyone else are still on the Lookout; I haven't been giving them as many scenes so I could see why you'd question that. Hopefully, I'll get better with that!

coldblue2015: Awesome review! I'm in the processing of responding via PM now!

Abyss Trinity: Definitely! Zangya and 18 really didn't have much experience fighting side by side or training together compared to Vegeta and Goku. Plus, they simply just don't like each other at all. We all know that Vegeta has a soft spot for Goku at least.

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Chapter 25: Fear & Anger

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Android 18 prided herself on a lot of things.

If anything the list was near endless but she ultimately prided herself on her appearance, her battle skills and her overall composure and personality. _Again_ , the list was near endless, but above all - her composure was something she always took the most pride in. After all, her composure had gotten both her and 17 through many things and likewise her composure was a result of what she and 17 has been through; it was double-edged sword in a way.

However, at this very moment, of which she was confronted with a grinning Majin Buu...

...Lazuli was riddled to the bone with _fear._

She could barely swallow the lump that formed in the back of her throat and she could practically _smell_ the sweat on herself.

"Buu turn you to chocolate now, too!"

18's icy blue eyes widened even further, finding herself paralyzed as she could barely summon the words to respond. Was _this_ how she was going to die? By getting turned into chocolate and mercilessly chomped into bits afterwards? What about Marise and Taro? And Goten? What about her husband and her brother? Her friends?

Was this seriously the end for her?

18 didn't have time to ponder any further as an all too frightening purple beam was heading straight for her.

At least until something was all but chucked in between her and the incoming beam.

18 squinted in just the slightest of ways, her expression mirroring her confusion. It looked like...Saiyan armor? But how? The only person that donned Saiyan armor on the regular was Vegeta, yet he was dead, wasn't he? Something just wasn't adding up here. Was she forgetting something here? And as if accepting that it just wasn't something she was going to be able to figure out on her own, 18's head whipped over the direction said object had been hurled from.

Contrary to what she expected, it was none other than the Son siblings.

18 blinked, the confusion still clear as day on her features. "Goku and...Raditz?"

And while Raditz didn't bother addressing his wife, Goku seemingly had no qualms about doing so. "Hiya, 18! Looks like we made it just in time, huh?"

18's shoulders relaxed slightly at the sight of the two, piecing together that it was her husband that chucked the Saiyan armor seeing as he was clad in Saiyan wear. It 18 had to guess, it probably came from inside the Time Chamber itself seeing as he probably long destroyed his own clothing. "Yeah, but to be frank, I didn't expect anyone to save me and yet the both of you ended up showing up."

Goku offered 18 a light smile. "Well, it wasn't coordinated at all if that's what you mean. I used Majin Buu's ki to instant transmission to your location given that the situation was quickly taking a turn for the worse." Then Goku's eyes diverted onto Raditz, "Looks like Raditz coincidentally had the same thing in mind too I see."

Raditz grunted, still pointedly ignoring his blonde wife. "It's not like I wanted to have the same thing in mind. Tarble and I aren't quite finished training just yet."

"Oh!" Buu exclaimed childishly, pointing a gloved finger at a SSJ3 Raditz before Goku could respond to his older brother's concerns. "Buu remember you! You stay and fight Buu!"

Raditz scoffed, but nonetheless kept his teal eyes trained on Majin Buu. Why wasn't he surprised? "Kakarot, get 18 out of here and - "

Goku cocked a brow, all but interrupting Raditz before he could stop himself. " - Huh? Why?"

The long-haired Saiyan shot Goku an incredulous look. "What do you mean why? It's obvious he wants a fight and I doubt he's just going to allow the three of us to leave. Granted, we can Instant Transmission back to the Lookout, but what difference does that make if he can possibly pursue and find us anyway? Marise, Taro, and Goten are on the Lookout as well as Chi-Chi and the others, so we obviously have to consider them as well."

Goku nodded in agreement. "That's true, but earlier you said that you and Tarble weren't finished training in the Time Chamber quite yet, so wouldn't it make more sense for me to hold Majin Buu off and keep him busy in the meantime while you two finish up?"

Raditz shot his younger brother a weird glance. "Well yeah, it would make more sense but you were only given 24 hours, remember? I mean if you fight Majin Buu, you're probably going to use up - "

Goku offered his older brother a reassuring smile. " - Hey, let me worry about the consequences, okay? We'll figure everything out later, so for now just get 18 out of here."

Silence.

And then, Raditz was ultimately releasing a sigh of defeat. After all, he wasn't really in a position to protest anyway. "Alright."

The spiky-haired Saiyan's smile widened. "Well I guess that settles it then; see you in a bit." Then, not waiting on a response from Raditz, Goku diverted his attention onto Majin Buu. "Looks like I'm going to be your opponent from here on out."

Buu cocked his head. "You fight Majin Buu?"

"That's right. How about I give you a little _lesson_ about Saiyans along the way, too?"

Meanwhile, Android 18 had been so focused on the sight of Goku and Majin Buu that she barely registered her husband pulling her into him and then disappearing from the scene of Buu and Goku altogether. In mere seconds, courtesy of Raditz's Instant Transmission of course, they were back on the Lookout.

Needless to say, the couple quickly found themselves surrounded by everyone.

"18!" Bulma exclaimed worriedly, running up to the tattered and bleeding blonde. "Are you okay?"

Chi-Chi, whom had been running alongside Bulma, shot her blue-haired friend a weird glance. "Well of course she's not okay! Look at her Bulma, she looks horrible!"

Bulma released a brief 'tsk' in annoyance towards Chi-Chi, but kept her eyes glued on Android 18's battered form nonetheless.

"I'm fine." Android 18 answered distractedly, noting out of the corner of her eyes that Raditz was heading elsewhere. Her husband was clearly upset with her and rightly so; after all, there was nothing she could say to him to justify her actions to him at all.

"Dende," Piccolo called out after taking in 18's injuries in silence, "Can you heal 18?"

Dende roused himself out of his light daze with the shake of his head, rushing towards 18 so as to immediately begin healing the damage she received from Majin Buu. "O-Of course!"

"Man," Yamcha stated after a while, "If Majin Buu can kill Zangya and leave Android 18 like _that,_ I'd hate to imagine what he could do to someone like me."

"Y-Yeah," Susan Marie agreed nervously from aside her lover, "I'm starting to get even more worried than before."

"Tell me about it," Ranfan muttered in agreement. "Is this ever going to end? And if it is, I don't like the look of things so far."

Tarble shot Ranfan a small smile. "I'm sure things will get better - even if it doesn't necessarily look like it right now."

Maron, from aside Krillin pouted at Tarble's choice of words, " _What_? No way! How can you possibly say that after what just happened to Zazuli?"

Oolong didn't hesitate to speak his mind, the fear apparent on his features as well. "I happen to second that!"

"I'm sorry," Videl interjected, "But I have to agree with Maron and Oolong here. Wasn't this whole fusion thing supposed to be a solution to this Majin Buu ordeal?"

"Ideally, yes," Piccolo smoothly interjected. "And it still is."

"If you think about it," Master Roshi backed up, "Piccolo is right. While things didn't necessarily turn out how it was supposed to with Zazuli and we ended up losing Zangya in the midst of it all, we still have options. Unfortunately, while there's a chance Goku will have to return to the Other World after fighting Majin Buu, there's still Raditz and Tarble and there's still the boys."

"Don't you think you're missing the point?" Videl countered. "If the fusion didn't turn out how it was supposed to with Zazuli, how do we know the other plans from here on and the fusion with the boys will be any different?"

"There's no guarantee." Piccolo answered bluntly. "Like you said, none of us expected any of our plans to get thrown out of whack so soon, but at the same time, that is why we have multiple plans to account for such impediments. Further, there's nothing we can do about what happened with Zangya, so we just have to keep pushing forwards and make a few more accommodations. Nothing more, nothing less."

Videl and everyone else seemed to quite down after Master Roshi and Piccolo's words, seemingly taking everything in.

~ 0 ~

"Whoa," Trunks began with wide purple eyes. "Did you hear that Goten?"

"Yeah," Goten mumbled in disbelief with black furrowed brows. "Zangya was killed by Majin Buu."

 _"And,"_ Trunks tacked on, "Did you see how beat up 18 looked? I thought she was strong."

"Mama _is_ strong." Marise corrected with narrowed icy eyes. Then she diverted them onto Taro for assistance. "Right, Taro?"

"Yeah," Taro agreed. "Besides, Vegeta lost to Majin Buu too."

Trunks had all but whirled around to face the three year old male. "That's completely different!"

"No it's not and you know it." Marise insisted matter-of-factly.

Silence overtook the group as the four kids continued their eavesdropping on the adults. Initially, Trunks and Goten had been eating - seeing as all of their training had made them work up quite the appetite - but as soon as they ran out of the food they naturally sought out the adults for more. Originally, they had been trying to find Mr. Popo specifically, but after seeing the adults grouped in one spot and talking amongst themselves, the boys figured that something had to have happened while they were on break.

And lo and behold they were right.

"Hey," Goten chirped out after a while, "There's Uncle 17!"

Taro perked up noticeably, peeking from around the pillars they were behind. "Uncle 17's here?"

"Yeah." Trunks responded distractedly. "I wonder if there's going to be anymore changes to the plan since he's arrived then?"

"Hmm," Goten hummed lowly. "I'm not sure, but the more people we have, the better right?"

Trunks shrugged. "I guess we'll just have to find out."

Marise's icy eyes saddened. "I guess I just don't understand what's happening. Why is everyone losing? Is Majin Buu that scary?"

"Well," Goten innocently chimed in, "my mom said that my dad is the strongest person in the world so if he's with Majin Buu right now, then I'm sure he won't lose!"

Naturally, Marise and Taro shared a glance before Marise was speaking yet again. "But Papa is just as strong as uncle Goku and - ."

" - He still lost." Trunks stated matter-of-factly; in fact, it was the same words Taro had stated earlier and he had no qualms with returning them. "And if they're supposed to be the strongest, then how come they let Gohan and my dad die?"

"Maybe Majin Buu is just that strong." Marise weakly defended.

Trunks didn't look convinced nor satisfied with Marise's answer.

~0~

"Zangya's...dead?"

"Yeah." 18 confirmed calmly. "Majin Buu turned her into some sort of chocolate and ate her."

"Luckily, Raditz and Goku interfered before 18 could meet the same fate as well."

17 diverted his eyes off of Piccolo's and down onto the designed tile of which made up the Lookout. That certainly wasn't something he expected to hear today at all. First Gohan and Vegeta and now Zangya? Just how strong was this Majin Buu character? And why did it seem to be one thing after another? If anything, at the rate things were going, 17 could see why everyone was considering Goten and Trunks participating as well.

"I see." He responded after a pregnant pause.

Ranfan and Maron shared a glance, the former speaking her mind. "Uh, didn't you and Zangya date? Don't you care that she was killed?"

"Of course." 17 answered nonchalantly. "It's unfortunate."

"Well, uh, what I think Ranfan means here is that - " Krillin paused as if searching for the proper words - "You're not really reacting like one would think given that you've just been told that your ex-lover was killed."

17 remained stoic, not really bothering to respond to Krillin's and the other's accusations. They knew nothing about him and if they expected him to burst into tears or something in front of everyone, then they clearly had him mistaken for someone else. That just wasn't his style nor how he handled things and his past as well as the way he grew up was certainly responsible for such.

Granted, he and Zangya did have some history together, but they parted ways for a reason.

"Well, hey," Videl cut in with a frown, "Just because someone doesn't react the way you want them to doesn't mean they're any less upset."

Though, perhaps if they looked further, they would have seen how his fists balled in just the slightest of ways; it was an action on his end that went near unnoticed, but 18 caught the action of course.

"Smart girl." 17 agreed finally. Then his eyes were diverting onto his sister, "Further, I must say I can't believe you fused with Zangya. I'll never see her or you the same, you know."

18 cut her eyes, rising up to her feet once Dende finally finished healing her. "You're being so dramatic, 17. You didn't even witness the fusion, so does it really matter?"

"Of course it does. How can my twin sister fusing with my ex-girlfriend not matter?"

"Well, it certainly wasn't a walk in the park for me either, but you don't see me whining about it." 18 stated pointedly. Besides had she known that Zangya was going to have access to her memories and vice-versa, it was something she wouldn't have even considered. Well, then again, maybe that wasn't necessarily true. After all, despite their differences, neither one of them wanted Goten and Trunks to get involved by any means, but she certainly would have been more reluctant to fuse with Zangya.

Even so, 18 couldn't help but wonder if 17 knew everything about Zangya's past?

About how Zangya's parents and ultimately her entire race was wiped out by a blue-skinned gorgeous male with green hair and how Zangya and her friends were pretty much orphaned from a young age? Or how they barely managed to escape with their lives afterwards? From what she has seen of Zangya's memories, they settled elsewhere and eventually formed an allegiance and grew stronger to seek revenge against the male that destroyed their livelihood.

That desire for revenge ultimately consumed all of them and filled them up with hatred.

And rightly so given what they have been through.

But still, even if they did have a right to be consumed with hatred, what she hadn't expected was for them to dish out that same pain and loss that was dished out on them at such young age.

18 was by no means a saint, seeing as she had been known to be quite the delinquent, but even she knew that two wrongs didn't make a right.

In the end, they ended up being renowned for their cruelty throughout space and it looked as if they pushed aside their goals for revenge and worked toward establishing their power and name throughout the universe. And when one took the time to look at both Zangya's past as well as her own, it was more than apparent that their deceivingly beautiful appearances didn't come anywhere close to reflecting their troubled past.

"...have a problem." Piccolo finished.

18 blinked, diverting her eyes onto Piccolo. "What?"

Piccolo shot her a weird look, nonetheless repeated himself. "I said that I've just realized that we have a problem." And when he was sure he had everyone's attention, so as to avoid repeating himself again, the Namekian continued, "Unfortunately, while Goku did grant Raditz and Tarble some extra time to wrap things up, Raditz won't be able to go back into the Hyperbolic Time Chamber."

Bulma's eyes widened at this, surprised. "What? Why not?"

Piccolo's eyes flickered onto Bulma's blue ones. "Because every person is only allowed to use the Hyperbolic Time Chamber twice in a lifetime."

"Well then, so now what?" Krillin inquired. "Is there any point to Goku taking on Majin Buu if Raditz and Tarble can't even go back in the Time Chamber?"

"Like Piccolo said earlier," a SSJ3 Raditz chimed in, "we're just going to have to make a few changes. Besides, in the ten days we've spent in the Time Chamber, I managed to master SSJ3 at least. I basically had to sacrifice sleep and ultimately maintain this SSJ3 form around the clock."

"And as for myself on the other hand - " Tarble clenched his fists - "I've had close calls to becoming a SSJ2 for the past four days in the Time Chamber, but I'm still not quite there yet."

Raditz's teal eyes shifted over to Tarble. "Don't be too hard on yourself. Once again, while we didn't quite expect things to get off track by this extent, it's nothing we can't fix; I'll just have to train you here on the outskirts of Lookout. That way Kakarot's time spent fighting Majin Buu isn't a complete waste at least. However, I must warn you that I'm going to come down a lot harder on you given the situation."

Tarble gave a curt nod. "I completely understand."

"And while we're at it," Piccolo tacked on, "let's hope nothing else interferes."

Krillin sighed. "Yeah, let's certainly hope not; I'll go get the boys so we can pick back up, Piccolo."

"Sounds good." Piccolo responded simply.

And no sooner than Krillin moved to do just that, the atmosphere noticeably changed.

Piccolo as well as the other warriors perked up upon taking note of said change. In addition, there was an incredibly strong ki, of which no doubt belonged to Goku, and it was increasingly getting stronger as time continued on. And it seemed as if the Earth in its entirety was... _shaking_? Though, given the sheer power being released Piccolo nor the other warriors were too surprised.

Then suddenly, as if needing to confirm it with his own eyes, the Namekian was quickly making his way to the edge of the Lookout.

"Yeah," Piccolo stated to no one in particular moments later, "Goku's definitely in the process of powering up to SSJ3 against Majin Buu."

"Somehow this feels more intense compared to Raditz's," Krillin noted with a gulp.

"Tell me about it!" Yamcha agreed with a grin. "Plus, whenever Goku fights, I just get the feeling that everything's going to be okay!"

~0~

Goku continued his hearty battle cry whilst his form remained hunched over, his fists all but balled. Just as he anticipated, it was taking quite the bit of time to tap into his SS3 power here on Earth. But, as far as he could see, he definitely had Majin Buu's attention.

Which was good.

"Ohh!" Buu exclaimed childishly, holding up a gloved hand as if to stop the harsh winds Goku's extreme power up was producing. Unfortunately, Buu still found himself sliding backwards some what and his attempts were futile.

Not to mention that the vacant city they were currently in was being demolished by his mere energy alone.

The windows out of the countless skyscrapers, buildings, and abandoned cars all but shattered whilst the vast cracks within the pavement beneath them violently morphed into deep trenches.

"As you've already seen...courtesy of Raditz - "Goku clenched his fist even more if possible, pausing his lengthy battle cries - "there's a level even beyond SSJ2!"

Majin Buu blinked innocently, as if trying to comprehend. "Another level?"

"That's right." Goku confirmed, his teal eyes narrowing in just the slightest of ways. "You'll see what I mean soon enough."

Then while Goku picked back up his transformation, Majin Buu kept silent. If anything, it seemed as if Majin Buu was blinded by awe as he watched Goku's blonde hair eventually lengthen to great lengths in the midst of his power up. And then, Goku was releasing one final battle cry, the yellow aura around him near tripling in intensity as he did so.

Afterwards, Goku exhaled soundlessly, diverting his teal eyes towards Buu once he was finally finished.

"Sorry it took so long, but I assure you it'll be well worth the wait."

"You ready to fight Buu now?"

Goku smirked. "Yeah, I'm ready."

And in a blur, both males were lunging for the other and slinging a fist forwards. Upon collision, shock waves were produced and Majin Buu released a childish sound that mirrored awe, "Buu thinks you look funny with long hair, but Buu thinks you strong, too!"

"Thanks." Goku responded calmly, evading a punch to the stomach with a leap upwards and slamming his leg down upon Buu. "You're pretty strong yourself."

Buu evaded said kick at the last minute, slinging a ki blast towards the male seconds later.

Easily, Goku swatted it upwards and fired out one of his own - of which Buu copied his opponent's actions and merely swatted it away.

Then, after a brief stare-down in silence, the two males were lunging for each other yet again, this time exchanging a barrage of punches and kicks back and forth. If one would have looked closer, one would have noticed that Goku's features were lightly coated with sweat, but Goku wouldn't let that stop him. The dead Saiyan warrior was more than determined to buy as much time as he could for Raditz and Tarble as each second counted.

Especially within the Hyperbolic Time Chamber.


	26. Chapter 26

A/N: As usual, I appreciate all of the support! The feedback is much appreciated! Also, my final semester starts on the 20th of this month, but I'll still keep chapters pushing out! If my chapters seem to slow down a bit, you know...not be back to back like this, don't be alarmed, okay? I'll let you know when I'm going to break this time if I have to.

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Gamelover41592: Thanks! And yes, unfortunately, it's true; it was actually stated by Goku during the Fusion Saga. Now, I'm sure this has changed afterwards as the series progressed, but at that point in time, you could only enter the Time Chamber twice in a lifetime.

coldblue2015: Awesome review! Expect a PM!

Abyss Trinity: Definitely! I'm excited myself!

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quick (tentative) outline:

Chapter 27...Goku vs Majin Buu/maybe some Tien and Launch again as well.

Chapter 28...Vegeta in Hell as well as other characters/ maybe some more Gohan

Chapter 29...Focus back on Earth

Chapter 30... Majin Buu and Hercule maybe

Chapter 31...Super Buu

* * *

Chapter 26: Delays & Ascension

* * *

Android 18 watched on in silence as Piccolo and Krillin continued the fusion technique with the boys; it seemed like they finally had the actual technique down packed and they were now practicing with their power levels and so forth. If anything, it would seem as if Piccolo was being extremely cautious with Goten and Trunks and making _sure_ that they had the basics down packed and were working them quite hard as result. Then again, considering what happened with her and Zangya, 18 couldn't blame Piccolo at all.

All in all, Piccolo had all but realized that there wasn't any room for mistakes the next time around.

18's eyes lowered in just the slightest of ways, before ultimately diverting onto her SSJ3 husband further off to the side. The bomb shell blonde was seated atop of the staircase with elbows resting atop of her thighs and her chin atop her palm. To one that may be regarding her from afar, 18 seemed calm and collected but in actuality, 18 was dealing with a range of emotions within.

First and foremost, the blonde actually felt guilty.

Not only had she interrupted Raditz's and Tarble's training in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, but Goku was currently using up a huge chunk of his time on Earth to delay Majin Buu. That time was originally supposed to be spent with training her and Zangya and the boys, yet the second she and Zangya fused together, things took a sharp turn for the worst.

Their fusion time ended sooner than they thought and Zangya ended up dead before they could even attempt to fuse again - simply put, from then on, things seemed to have a nasty domino effect. Now, as a result, they were behind schedule, they lost Zangya and they were due to lose Goku soon, _and_ Raditz was pissed with her. He hadn't even spared a single glance in her direction, nor said so much as a word to her.

And like she mentioned earlier, he had every right to be upset with her.

Raditz didn't even want her nor the kids fighting in the first place, but had accepted that they were training and learning in the event that something could potentially go wrong with their original plan. Instead, she goes out and attempts to bare things alone, completely disregarding his thoughts and feelings in the process. And, seeing as they've had this particular issue at least several times before, 18 had ended up learning that nothing irritated Raditz more than going behind his back or hiding something from him.

But even if things seemed to be continuously taking a turn for the worst, save for their desperate attempts to cling to anything but the worst case scenario along the way, 18 could honestly admit that she had the right intentions in mind. Besides, it wasn't her fault by any means that she grew up the way she did, so could she really be blamed for wanting to preserve the current lifestyle she has come to love and enjoy?

Granted, her and Raditz didn't really get off to a good start, but in the end, he gave her two beautiful kids and he ultimately spoiled her - making 17 completely right, to her slight dismay. But the point of the matter was that it was because of _him_ , that they had this lifestyle together and she wanted to protect it just as much as he did. Was that so wrong of her?

18 didn't think the overall idea was wrong, but maybe her methods were wrong from time-to-time.

 _'Maybe he needs someone other than you; you can't even be honest with yourself at times and you're far from feminine.'_

Lazuli's lips twitched slightly as she recalled Zangya's words. And as much as she couldn't stand the orange-haired woman, 18 couldn't help but wonder if Zangya had stated those words in regards to the memories she's seen of her and Raditz. But then again, what would Zangya know? Her and Raditz were _mated_ , so they were obviously made for one another, and even if she didn't tell Raditz if things bothered her immediately at times, it didn't mean that she _wasn't_ honest with him.

Or did it?

18 scoffed, diverting her eyes off of the back of husband and down onto the tiled design of the Lookout. Why even bother considering Zangya's words in the first place? Her and Raditz had been together for a little over seven years now and she has come a long way as an individual and a long way aside Raditz. And when Zangya wasn't being a pain to deal with it, it was quite obvious she was just _lusting_ after her husband anyway.

"Mama?"

18's icy eyes diverted off of the floor and onto the source. Immediately, 18's eyes widened in just the slightest of ways at the sight her children, a light smile taking over her features. "Hmm? What are you two up to?"

Marise and Taro shared a glance, before sitting on either side of their mother. "Are you okay?"

18 cocked a blonde brow. "Of course I am."

Marise didn't look convinced and openly hesitated with how to continue the conversation.

Taro seemed to read the situation, "Marise thinks you're sad. Are you sad?"

"Taro!" Marise cried out in disbelief.

Taro shot his twin a confused look. Did he do something wrong? Maybe he was better off being quiet, after all.

18 diverted her icy eyes off of Taro and onto Marise, frowning slightly. "Is that true?"

Marise shot her mother a guilty expression. "It's just you came back really beat up earlier and Papa seems angry and...I just don't understand any of it. And it's not like anyone tells us what's going on. Is it because we're...three?"

18 closed her eyes and released a soundless sigh. How could she forget that Marise was extremely observant? The small three year old was equally smart as she was observant and 18 should have known that the wheels were turning rather quickly inside her daughter's head. Even to this day, it was still quite odd how Marise had her looks and was her carbon copy while Taro was Raditz's carbon copy yet he had her personality.

And while Taro wasn't nearly as outspoken about things as Marise turned out to be, he did take after her in terms of quietly dealing with things and watching what happened in silence. Her small year old boy seemed to have trouble with expressing himself and while he seemed content with just being present at times, 18 knew that it was more to him than what he was letting on.

All in all, 18 could tell that Taro was just as worried as his twin sister.

"Marise, Taro," Android 18 addressed lightly, encasing Marise and Taro with her arms and pulling either child into her, "I'm sorry to have worry the both of you and I can't imagine how everything must look to you right now, but Raditz and I will never let anything happen to you. And if you don't understand anything else, know that at least."

Marise perked up slightly, more or less reassured by her mother's words. "Okay, mama."

Taro seemed to relax as well, "Okay."

~0~

"What's the matter?" Raditz demanded with a frown, taking in Tarble's exhausted form with his teal eyes.

Tarble looked up at Raditz apologetically. Yet again, he managed to tap into SSJ2; however, he just couldn't maintain it. Where was he going wrong? He had done exactly as Raditz instructed and used his motivation to transform the first time and tried to apply that to his SSJ2 transformation, but to no avail.

No matter what he did, he could only briefly uphold the SSJ2 state.

"I'm really sorry, it's just that - "

" - Sorry isn't going to cut it anymore." Raditz cut in seriously, teal eyes narrowing.

Tarble's eyes widened, watching as Raditz squatted down so that they were eye to eye. "Don't you get it, Tarble? Time is really passing us by." The SSJ3 paused briefly as he searched Tarble's eyes with his own, continuing moments later once he was sure he had Tarble's full attention. "In case you've forgotten, Gohan's dead, Vegeta's dead, the Supreme Kai's dead, and even Zangya's dead; how many more people are going to have to _die_ for you realize the severity of the situation?"

"W-What?" Tarble managed to stammer out with wide-eyes. "It's not that I don't realize the severity of the situation at all! It's just that I can't seem to hold on to the power of SSJ2. Before, a mere four days ago to be exact, I wasn't even able to do that! I'm making progress and - "

" - And simply making progress _isn't_ enough." Raditz interrupted sharply, rising to his feet and frowning. "Once again, just like I stated earlier, you're failing to realize the severity of the situation; don't you want to protect Ranfan? Bulma? And even Trunks?"

Tarble somehow managed to rise to his feet as well, his exhaustion seemingly forgotten. "Of course I want to protect them! And now that Vegeta's...gone, I feel like I have to protect them now more than ever! That was the other reason I wanted to join you in the Time Chamber!"

Raditz remained silent and Tarble clenched his fists, brows furrowing in hurt. "You...don't believe me?"

"I can't say that I do." Raditz responded oddly calm, "Then again, what's to expect from someone that watched on from a distance as Vegeta died? At least Vegeta died to protect Bulma and Trunks, yet you can't even seem to find it within you to ascend to keep his efforts alive. If you can't even do that and honor his wishes, then there's no way you can protect Ranfan as you are."

Tarble's eyes widened, clenching his fists. "What did you just...say?"

Bulma, whom had taken to watching on as well, shot Raditz an incredulous look. "Raditz!" The blue-haired woman openly chastised. "Don't you think you're taking this thing too far?"

"Bulma's right!" Chi-Chi agreed whole-heartedly, her hands on her hips as she sent her brother-in-law a disapproving look. "Tarble's lost two people close to him and seeing as we lost Gohan, I figured _you'd_ be a little more understanding!"

The SSJ3 turned his head in order to regard both women, his gaze stern. "Apparently losing Vegeta and Zangya wasn't enough for him."

And then he was diverting his attention back onto Tarble, ignoring the shocked and surprised faces of his sister-in-law and best friend. Meanwhile, Tarble, fists dangerously clenched, clearly had enough. The Super Saiyan was all but narrowing his eyes at Raditz. "...I-I can't believe you! I can't believe you said those things!"

Tarble was all but pissed and it certainly showed; then, as if throwing all cares and caution to the side, Tarble angrily lunged for Raditz and all but moved to slam his fist into Raditz's midsection. Easily, Raditz hefted up a knee and blocked said fist, but Tarble wasn't one to be deterred so easily, flipping backwards and slinging two huge ki blasts forwards with a growl.

Raditz's eyes widened slightly; nonetheless the male crossed his forearms over his face in order to fend against such an attack.

Relentlessly, Tarble took that instant to lunge towards the male and put Raditz on the receiving end of a fast barrage of punches in the midst of the smoke - of which was produced from his ki blasts exploding upon collision. He could feel Raditz sliding backwards with each punch and kick he was taking from him, but Tarble was so blinded by hurt...and by _anger,_ that that alone simply wasn't _nearly_ as satisfying for him.

Then, Tarble was pulling back, ending his fierce barrage, and harshly slamming his leg into Raditz's frame with bared teeth.

Raditz grunted, skidding backwards a _great_ deal before doing a reverse somersault in order to get a hold of himself; though, Tarble wasn't quite done and all but moved to slam his foot into Raditz's back whilst he was on all fours. Narrowly, Raditz evaded it with a flip, taking in the damage done to the area he had been at mere seconds ago. With a mere stomp, Tarble had managed to cause _numerous_ cracks to ripple out from the point of impact.

And to say that it spread out to almost the entirety of the Lookout was by no means an exaggeration.

Again, Tarble was undeterred, quickly phasing in behind Raditz and slamming his elbow into Raditz's broad back.

Upon direct contact, Raditz fell forwards; yet, Tarble had phased in before him again and this time, slammed his leg into Raditz's chin.

The long-haired Saiyan found himself skidding on his back yet again, spluttering up more blood.

What's more is that Tarble was currently heading for him again.

Looks like he really did piss him off.

Despite the situation, Raditz sent Tarble a proud smirk as he sat up. "There it is."

Tarble narrowed his eyes, scoffing slightly as he put Raditz on another receiving end of a fierce barrage of attacks. Then he was slamming his fist into Raditz's midsection afterwards, as if he wasn't nearly satisfied with previous attacking style. _"What?"_

The SSJ3 Raditz buckled over with a grimace as he spluttered up blood; nonetheless, his smirk remained. Was _this_ what Krillin meant when he said that Gohan's anger back on Planet Namek turned him into a near different warrior? Back when Gohan tried to save him after Frieza gravely injured him and left him to die in the vast waters that covered Planet Namek? Was this what Krillin witness Gohan do to Frieza back then? Was this how Cell felt when Gohan was angered by him? Was this how he, himself, looked when he angrily ascended to SSJ and took on Frieza?

And while Raditz was internally musing to himself, Tarble pulled back and all but allowed Raditz to fall to his hands and knees.

"You've been a SSJ2 this whole time." Raditz finally revealed. "You're obviously able to uphold it for more than a few seconds now."

Tarble's teal eyes widened. "Wait, I'm _what_?"

The long-haired Saiyan was all but rising back up to his feet, wiping away the blood from his mouth before answering the smaller male. "I said you've completely ascended; in other words, you're officially an SSJ2." Then, Raditz was all but gesturing to the damage to the surrounding area, "Now, what do you say we work on our SSJ2 and SSJ3 states?"

Tarble opened and closed his mouth in several attempts to respond, but couldn't find the words to do so. A part of him wanted to still be angry for the things that Raditz said to him and the other part of him wanted to rejoice. Rejoice because he was one step closer to avenging Vegeta. Rejoice because he was a level stronger and more capable of protecting those he cared about. Rejoice because now he wouldn't be watching on the sidelines, but participating as a warrior - one that he could only hope would make Vegeta proud of him.

Out of the corner of his eyes, Tarble finally took note that nearly everyone was watching on.

How long have they been there?

And did they see...everything?

Did...Ranfan see everything?

Tarble closed his eyes. He couldn't help but feel slightly embarrassed and he was still a little angry, but at the same time, he was _stronger._

Then, as if finished gathering his thoughts, Tarble's teal eyes opened and he got sight of the lightning cackling around his arms. Was this "lightning" cackling all around his body too? Tarble realized that even if it wasn't, he felt amazing. The sheer power coursing within him felt _astonishing_. With this power coursing through him, he felt confident and like he could believe in himself for once.

"While I certainly don't agree with the method Vegeta or you used," Tarble finally began after observing himself in silence, "It looks like this is the most effective method and - "

" _\- And,_ " Bulma cut in angrily, all but stomping towards Raditz and harshly grasping his ear, "completely uncalled for! I can't believe you said that to him!"

Raditz painfully grimaced, " _Ow_ , damn it! Let go, Bulma!"

"Not until you apologize!"

Raditz somehow managed to divert his eyes over to Tarble. "I'm sorry I helped you ascend."

Bulma narrowed her blue eyes, relentlessly applying more force. "That's not the apology I meant and you know it!"

Raditz 'tsked'; nonetheless, he complied. "I'm sorry for what I said; I really mean it. And not just to you, but to anyone else I may have offended as well, but I did tell you I was going to be hard on you."

The blue-haired scientist harrumphed, roughly releasing Raditz before folding her arms under her bust. "I guess I'll accept that for now."

Meanwhile, whilst Krillin, Master Roshi, and Tarble seemingly had no problems with laughing at Raditz's expense, Piccolo awkwardly coughed into his hand. "Well, while there were a few rough bumps along the way, it looks like we're managing fairly well despite them."

"Yeah," Raditz agreed, diverting his eyes off of Piccolo and onto Goten and Trunks. The male had had a quick flashback to when his mother used to grasp his ear similar to how Bulma did, but quickly pushed it away and kept his focus on the two boys in front of him. "How's the training coming along, you two?"

Trunks shoved his hands in his pockets, a frown on his features. "It's not too bad. Piccolo's even more strict than before, but I guess I can't complain seeing as the method you used to get Uncle Tarble to get stronger was a lot harsher."

Raditz cocked a brow. "You're right, it was. And maybe you - " Raditz's eyes diverted onto Goten's eyes as well " - nor Goten understand why Piccolo and I are being so hard on you three, but it's for the greater good of the world."

Trunks and Goten shared a look, but said nothing more about the matter.

Well, at least until Trunks asked a question that has been in the back of his head for some time now.

"So," Trunks began with a cocked brow, "that SSJ3 form is the one that Goku is currently using against Majin Buu, right?"

"Yeah," Raditz answered easily. "What about it?"

"You think you could teach that to Goten and I? You know after we fuse and all?"

Raditz shot the boys an incredulous look, visibly lost for words. What? Was he...serious? Was it even possible for an eight-year old and seven-year old to master such a form? Sure, they both had potential given that they were both Super Saiyans at their age in the first place, but a SSJ3? Fused or not, it sounded near impossible. Then, the SSJ3 was all but exhaling soundlessly, before cracking a smirk. "I'll tell you what...how about when you're in the clear with Piccolo and Krillin, we'll see what you boys can really do?"

Trunks and Goten seemed to perk up at this, sharing a grin.

"Wait," 17 cut in with a cocked brow, "What are you saying? Are you serious right now?"

Raditz gave a curt nod. "Yeah. I mean given that Zangya's and 18's fusion did fail, what better way to make sure the same doesn't happen to Goten and Trunks then to push them to fullest extent in their fused form?"

Piccolo grunted. "When you put it that way, I guess it's hard not to see the logic in that."

17's brows cocked further. "Sure, I can see the logic in that as well, but for these boys to be a _last resort_...don't you think that a line must be drawn somewhere?"

"I kinda agree with 17 here," Videl chimed in, her purple eyes diverting onto Raditz. "I mean they are kids at the end of the day."

"That's true." Piccolo agreed, quickly coming to Raditz's defense, "But they're still Saiyans. While I'm not excusing the fact that they're children, they're not necessarily human. I'm certain everyone here remembers what Tarble stated earlier about how Saiyans generally operate?"

17 fell quiet as did Videl; however, Raditz was quick to tack on, "At the end of the day, we can't afford to do anything half-baked. If we're going to send out half-Saiyans to a battle and prep them as a last resort, then we might as well make sure they're as strong as possible."

"Well then," Chi-Chi surprisingly butt in, trekking towards her brother-in-law, "If that's how it has to be, then fine; but I won't be as willing to forgive you this time if anything happens to the boys on your watch."

Raditz fell silent as he took in his sister-in-law. Truthfully, he had been somewhat avoiding the topic of Gohan and what happened with Chi-Chi, but of course he knew he couldn't avoid it forever. For some reason, facing her with that just wasn't something he was ready to do at the time. And to be frank, it still wasn't something he was ready to do, but no matter how he looked at it, his promise to look after Kakarot's family was still intact and he had better do a damned exceptional job of making sure keep everyone else safe as well.

It was the only way he could make it up to Chi-Chi and his own family as well.

"Alright." He agreed.

Chi-Chi seemed satisfied with this and relented her stern gaze a bit. "Good."

"Well then," Piccolo interjected after a brief silence, "let's continue with training the boys and you continue training with Tarble for now, Raditz. I'm sure that since Tarble has ascended now, it'll be more beneficial for the both of you. Meanwhile, we'll wait for Goku to come back. I'm sure he won't burn out all of his time. Goku's no fool; he knows his limits."

Raditz smirked, seemingly agreeing with the Namekian before him. "Couldn't have said it better myself."

Piccolo smirked, eyes diverting onto the Goten and Trunks before flickering back onto Raditz's teal eyes. "Yeah. And who knows? Maybe we'll even be able to see the boys fuse for the first time as well."


	27. Chapter 27

A/N: Thanks for all of the support/feedback! Much appreciated! Remember I start my final semester on the 20th of this month, so updates will slow a bit.

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coldblue2015: Great review! Expect a PM!

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Here's the tentative outline again!

Chapter 28...Vegeta in Hell as well as other characters/ some Zangya/ maybe some more Gohan

Chapter 29...Focus back on Earth and the Lookout

Chapter 30... Majin Buu and Hercule maybe

Chapter 31...Super Buu

* * *

Chapter 27: Goku's Promise & Saiyan Bonding

* * *

Goku narrowed his teal eyes in just the slightest of ways.

Yeah, his opponent was definitely strong all right. In fact, it wasn't an exaggeration to say that Majin Buu's capabilities well exceeded any other opponent he has ever faced before. Goku could also see why the Supreme Kai had been so worried about Buu and how Majin Buu could have given his older brother a hard time. Well, given that Raditz's SSJ3 form wasn't quite mastered at the time yet.

But if his inkling was correct, both Raditz and Tarble should well have everything just about wrapped up; especially since they were inside the Time Chamber and all.

Goku suddenly frowned as if struck by realization.

Well, Raditz and Tarble were _supposed_ to be in the Time Chamber at least. Judging from what he was currently sensing, they weren't in the Time Chamber at all. Did that mean they were finished or was he missing something here? Either way, it did seem as if Tarble ascended to SSJ2 and Raditz's SSJ3 form felt somewhat different from before. Did that mean that Raditz was getting stronger?

"Buu like fighting you! Buu thinks you strong!"

Goku refocused back onto the matter at hand upon being addressed, a small smirk forming on his features. "Yeah, I like fighting you as well. What do you say we finish this up? Unfortunately, I'm going to have to leave soon."

Buu frowned at this. "You leave soon? Tell Buu why."

Goku didn't answer right away. Instead, the male all but steadied himself for yet another round with Buu. "Why don't we save that bit for later?"

And then before Majin Buu could respond, Goku all but lunged for the male and slammed his fist into Buu's gut. Majin Buu doubled over, but certainly wasn't against morphing his pink belly around Goku's fist and all but violently expelling him backwards with a childish exhale. Goku was quick to catch his bearings, quickly leaping upwards and twirling behind Buu to avoid a rush attack by his pudgy opponent.

From behind, Goku formed two blue ki orbs in either of his hands and sent them hurling towards Majin Buu's back. " _HA!"_

At such close range, one wouldn't think that Majin Buu would evade such an attack, but the pink being seemed to be a few steps ahead as he all but expanded outwards and skillfully manipulated his body so that Goku's attacks went straight through the holes he made within his body. Goku blinked a bit in surprise, but managed to quickly catch a hold of himself and all but fended off Majin Buu's kick to the side with a forearm.

Another shock wave formed upon collision.

Majiin Buu grinned in just the slightest of ways and Goku couldn't help but smirk.

Then the two males were pulling back and clashing yet again only to fiercely exchange punches and kicks tic-for-tac. As they did so, the two males traveled about the skies in what could best be described as mere pink and yellow blurs dashing about. If anything, for better or for worse, at least the inhabitants of the city they were clashing in were long gone, having wisely escaped to avoid Majin Buu's antics.

~(0)~

"Man," Tien murmured in disbelief and wide eyes. Was that Goku he felt? And what about the other person? The ki of Goku's opponent gave him a feeling Tien couldn't entirely process.

But for said feeling, as well as Goku's ki, to rear him out of his routinely training spoke volumes.

Tien chanced a glance back in the direction of his home. It certainly wouldn't take him too long to head back and check on his girlfriend and the others, but if Goku was fighting at his current level should he be worried? In addition, it would seem as if quite the fighting has been going on even _prior_ to Goku fighting, but wasn't there a tournament taking place that Yamcha mentioned to him sometime back?

And even then, all of this fighting seemed a little extreme for a tournament. Should he have been paying more attention?

Tien's brows furrowed further, deciding to head back early and check on Launch, Chiaotzu and Puar. Perhaps afterwards, he'd give Yamcha or Krillin a call to see if there was something going on that he should know about. Naturally, he would expect the two to keep him in the loop of things already, but maybe they had their hands tied with something else.

And without further ado, Tien quickly made his way back towards his small home in the distance. Of course, seeing as it wasn't too far away, he reached it in little to no time at all. But even still, despite reaching his home, his mind had seemingly transitioned into over gear. Why did he suddenly have a bad feeling about everything? The more Tien tried to muse and ponder on a few things here and there, the more questions he seemingly came up with in the process.

Not good.

"Huh? Tien?" Launch called out in surprise, blonde brows cocked slightly. "What are you doin' back early?"

The three-eyed warrior regarded his three-month pregnant girlfriend in silence before quickly scanning for Chiaotzu and Puar. Distractedly, as if realizing he had yet to answer Launch, his eyes flickered back onto her teal ones all the while closing the front door behind him with a hand. "I was just coming back to check on you."

Launch didn't look convinced and it certainly showed. "Huh? For what? Isn't that why you have Chiaotzu an' the cat here? To keep an eye on me while you train?"

"Well," Tien answered slowly, as if trying to get his words together, "yeah, for the most part."

"Then what's the problem?" Launch countered matter-of-factly.

Tien looked taken aback, but was quick to recuperate. If something was wrong, he didn't want to worry Launch in her condition. And in order to avoid that, he couldn't allow Launch to see through his facade. Though, given that he couldn't exactly lie to her either, he would have to take a slightly different approach. So, allowing a smile to grace his features, Tien all but sat down aside Launch and placed a hand on her bulging belly.

"Have you forgotten that you're the mother of my child? It's only natural to check in myself from time to time, right?"

Launch visibly flushed at the contact, swallowing thickly as she diverted her eyes off of his. "Of course I haven't forgotten!" Then, with a frown clear on her features, she muttered an, "An' how can I forget somethin' like that when I'm gonna be like this for six more months anyway?"

Tien's eyes softened at Launch's antics, unable to stop his small smile from widening further. Something's never did change, huh? She was still basically the same - even whilst being pregnant. "I know."

Before Launch could respond, Chiaotzu was all but trotting in, "Tien?"

Tien's smile fell slightly. "Chiaotzu? Where's Puar?"

"Puar's taking a call from Yamcha. And in case you're wondering, Launch wanted - "

" - No," Tien interjected gently," it's fine. I'll be right back, okay? I'm going to see if I can chat with Yamcha a bit while Puar has him on the line."

And before Chiaotzu or Launch could respond, the three-eyed warrior was doing just that.

~(0)~

Darn it.

Pretty soon he was going to be reaching his limit, or rather he was already dangerously close to said limit as is. Goku exhaled lightly in an attempt to catch his bearings, but to no avail.

That method wasn't going to cut it this time.

And as much as he would love to continue fighting Majin Buu, he couldn't forget what was important here.

"Hey, Buu," Goku addressed calmly, wiping away at the sweat on his features with a forearm. If possible, even if he wasn't going to be able to continue fighting Majin Buu at the moment, he'd like to buy everyone a little extra time just in case. But was it possible? Would Majin Buu take the bait? "Remember earlier when I said that I was going to have to leave soon? Looks like that time is now unfortunately."

Buu frowned, his displeasure clear on his childish features. "Huh? Why you have to leave?"

"To put it simply, I have to take care of a few other things before my time here on Earth is completely up." Goku explained vaguely, pausing briefly to make sure Majin Buu was following him so far. Once he was sure he still had Buu, Goku continued, "Besides, in two days, a pair of even stronger warriors will appear and be a lot more _fun_ than I am."

"Oh?" Buu exclaimed childishly. "Someone stronger than you will fight Buu?"

Goku gave a curt nod. "That's right. They'll come to you in two days, so in the meantime I just ask that you don't kill anyone else, alright? They should be more than enough for you."

Buu seemed to consider it for a moment, before ultimately responding. "Hmmm, okay! Buu won't kill anyone else and Buu wait for strong warriors!"

Goku's features lit up at this, his relief from the inside slightly leaking out. "Great! Now remember, they'll come fight you in _two days_ , alright?"

Buu nodded once as if understanding. "Hm! Buu wait for them."

Goku wasn't even sure if Majin Buu knew how to keep up with time, but the fact of the matter was that Buu willingly agreed to his proposition. So, all in all, not only did he get Buu to stop wreaking havoc on Earth and its inhabitants for the time-being but he also bought them some more time as well. Goku cracked a light smile at this, quickly putting two fingers to his forehead.

That was certainly better than nothing he supposed.

And then, in a flash, Goku had all but disappeared from before Majin Buu and reappeared amongst his friends on the Lookout. Needless to say, the second he touched down on the tile floors of the Lookout, Goku quickly dropped out of his SSJ3 state and all but fell down to a knee in the process.

"Goku!" Chi-Chi exclaimed worriedly, quick to run to the aid of her husband. The raven-haired woman had no issues dropping down to her knees and getting her Cheongsam's dirty for the sake of making sure that her husband was okay.

"I'm fine, Chi," Goku reassured, "just a little exhausted is all."

"Well, regardless," Dende chime in with a light smile, "you did buy us two more days worth of time and saved the inhabitants of Earth for the time-being."

From behind, Goten and Trunks shared somewhat of an excited grin, before Goten was running up to his father. "Alright! That's good, right?"

Goku sent Goten an apologetic smile, noting out of his peripheral that everyone else was listening on and had swarmed around him as well - except 18 and Bulma for some reason, but he didn't question it. Instead, he kept his eyes trained on his youngest son. "Of course, but it's not necessarily good for me at least."

Goten frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Unfortunately, Kakarot doesn't have too much longer here on Earth, Goten."

Goten's frown deepened, diverting his eyes off of his father and onto Raditz. "So dad has to go back now?"

"I'm sure it's not right this second," Piccolo interjected in his own attempt to soften the invisible blow to the younger Saiyan, "but it's inevitable, so we really need to crack down and continue with training."

Despite Piccolo's attempts, Goten still seemed to take it a little hard.

"Aw, come on," Krillin coaxed warmly, placing a hand on Goten's spiky hair, "you'll still have us at least, right Trunks?"

Trunks blinked, snapping out of his light stupor. "Uh, yeah, Krillin's right. Plus, there's still Marise and Taro as well."

The twins perked up and Marise didn't hesitate to offer her cousin a light smile. "Mhm! Whenever you and Trunks are finished training and all of this over, then we can all play again!" Marise eagerly turned to her dad, grasping his hand with her much smaller one. "Right, Papa?"

Raditz offered her a genuine smile, rubbing a hand on either of the twin's head. The action caused Taro's and Marise's smile to widen even further if possible. "Right."

Meanwhile, Videl and the other women - Maron, Susan Marie, and Ranfan - couldn't help but crack a smile as they watched the scene unfold before their eyes. Oddly enough, for a reason Videl couldn't exactly place, it made her a lot more sad than she would have originally expected. If anything, while this wasn't about her in the slightest, it just made her think of her own childhood.

After all, maybe if she had siblings or close cousins around, she wouldn't have had to hang out around her dad's dojo to compensate for that. But then again, would it have really mattered? She would have still been exposed to her father's bad habits in regards to picking up different women and she would have still had that at the back of her mind unfortunately.

The purple-haired woman sighed lightly.

God, she missed Gohan.

Even if it was strange in a way, Gohan made her forget about the small things and the memories she didn't want to recall. And without him beside her, it felt like she was entertaining such things a lot more often.

~(0)~

"Hey, 18," Bulma called out curiously.

18 remained seated atop the staircase; nonetheless, diverted her icy eyes onto the blue-haired woman at her side. "Yeah?"

Bulma cocked a brow. "Is something going on between you and Raditz?"

18 diverted her eyes elsewhere, "Nothing's the matter."

Bulma didn't look convinced at all, even going as far as to shoot 18 an incredulous look. "Have you forgotten _who_ you're talking to?"

18 didn't respond and Bulma cut her eyes. "Well I figured since it's quite obvious that Raditz is ignoring you, you'd want to talk to someone else at least."

Silence.

And just when it seemed as if 18 was going to remain silent, Bulma turned to leave the blonde woman be. However, contrary to what either women expected, 18 caved. "I've never really been good with these things and I don't expect I ever will be."

Bulma took this as her cue to stay and took a seat aside the blonde. "Well, you've really come around, 18, and I'm sure even you're aware of that much."

"I guess." 18 agreed, but she knew what Bulma was saying was true. If anything, when she first appeared, she was an enemy. Now she was married to the brother of the guy she was originally supposed to kill.

It was quite ironic when one took the time to think about it.

"And," Bulma tacked on thoughtfully, "don't take this the wrong way, but you and Raditz are each other's first love and - "

18 cocked a brow, finally diverting her eyes onto the woman aside her. " - And just what is that supposed to mean? Goku and Chi-Chi are each other's first love, aren't they?"

"Well, yes, that's true, but what I'm saying," Bulma enunciated slowly, "or rather what I was _trying_ to say is that you and Raditz are quite different from Vegeta and I and even Goku and Chi-Chi."

"You think so?" 18 inquired calmly.

"Well, yeah, of course," Bulma supplied easily. "Just think about it, Goku and Vegeta obviously have little to no experience with women. I mean if we're being honest here, Goku's too dense and doesn't really show interest in anything other than fighting while Vegeta is...well an _ass_ and doesn't really show any interest in anything other than surpassing Goku and anyone else that stands in his way."

"In a nutshell," the blue-haired beauty began to sum up, "while Goku and Vegeta themselves have no idea of how to interact in the woman or familial department they have myself and Chi-Chi - a woman - to be a _guide_ of some sort. In your case, _neither_ you nor Raditz really know how to interact in that department. So in layman's terms, Raditz doesn't really have - "

" - someone like you or Chi-Chi to be a guide for how things are supposed to go in a relationship." 18 finished quickly.

"Exactly." Bulma stated. "All I'm saying is that there's hardly ever a case where _both_ partners in a relationship aren't really sure how to operate in those departments. I mean - " Bulma diverted her eyes over to Tarble - "look Tarble has his fiancee, Ranfan, to guide him whilst Gohan has Videl to guide him. I'm not trying to make you feel bad or anything, but I just wanted to point out that you and Raditz are lot more different compared to typical couples."

"So what are you suggesting? It's not like I wanted to grow up the way I did only to be turned into an Android against my will."

"Obviously not," Bulma agreed. "But seeing as you and Raditz are a unique pair, it's going to be a little more challenging at times for the both of you."

"Maybe." 18 agreed, "but - "

" - So instead of distancing yourselves from each other, why don't you try and approach him? I'm not entirely sure of what's going on but I do have an idea and it seems to me that you ultimately feel responsible."

18 seemed to consider it for a bit, but then ultimately decided against it. "I doubt that'll work in this case; if Raditz has me shut off from our bond right now, then I doubt he want's to talk to me at all."

Bulma looked taken aback. "Wait, what? There's a... _bond_?"

18 inwardly chastised herself, but elaborated more on the matter. After all, there was no chance that Bulma was going to drop the conversation. "You haven't heard of it? Raditz told me that Saiyans have some sort of bonding ritual. About seven years ago, Raditz told me that Saiyans rarely made bonds but when they do it's usually for life. There's supposedly three stages to Saiyan mating and if you're made for each other then you both have the urge to bite during...intimacy."

Bulma looked somewhat dejected, her shoulders slumping slightly. "No...Vegeta hasn't mentioned anything like that to me; I can barely get him to open up about his past. So what happens after you...mate?"

18 looked somewhat uncomfortable, but continued anyway. How could she not be uncomfortable when Bulma looked devastated? After all, this was partly her fault for bringing it up in the first place. "Well...you become one - memories, thoughts, feelings... _everything_."

"Oh," Bulma murmured distractedly. "I...see."

Silence.

And then Bulma was quickly rising to her feet, brushing off the ends of her red dress and avoiding complete eye contact with the blonde. "I'm...going to go check on my parents."

"Wait," 18 tried wide-eyed ,"Bulma - "

" - this is a personal call so do me a favor and don't follow me, okay?"

18 exhaled a soundless sigh.

Great.

Just how in the world did she manage to make things _worse?_


	28. Chapter 28

A/N: Thanks for all of the continued support/feedback/reviews! Much appreciated! By the way, Eden's Zero manga isn't a bad read so far!

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coldblue2015: Great review! In the process of PM'ing you!

Gamelover41592: Oh, that wasn't what I was trying to convey! I'm sorry if I confused you! That last line of Chapter 27 was just supposed to be 18 reflecting on how she's "caused" yet another a mess up! I hope that makes sense! If it doesn't, feel free to PM me!

Abyss Trinity: Thanks a lot!

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tentative outline

\- Chapter 29...Back to Earth

\- Chapter 30...Majin Buu and Hercule

\- Chapter 31...Super Buu Arrives to the Lookout

* * *

Chapter 28: The Galactic Warrioress & The Prince of All Saiyans !

* * *

"Well," The Ogre in charge of escorting Zangya to Hell began reluctantly, "I-I guess this is it."

"I guess so," Zangya replied with a light smirk, diverting her blue eyes onto the male at her side. "See you around."

He shakingly pushed up his glasses with a finger, a blush staining his cheeks. "O-Of course."

Zangya's smirk increased and the Ogre looked as if he could have died right then and there. The orange-haired beauty harrumphed, distractedly running a hand through her luscious curls. So King Yemma decided to allow _her_ to keep her body? That was a twist. Her past wasn't clean by any means. Sure, she stayed out of trouble for the past seven years while living on Earth, but did that really play a role in anything?

Unless of course the strong and mighty King Yemma fell victim to her beauty as well?

Zangya's smirk widened; she wouldn't be surprised.

Coolly, with her arms folded underneath her bust, Zangya made her way further into the depths of Hell. The green-skinned beauty kept her eyes straight ahead and clearly had no intentions of associating herself with past victims of hers and Bojack's. Her smirk fell slightly. Maybe if she was lucky, the bastard wouldn't have his body.

Especially since he tried to trade her in for that blonde trash as well as try to kill her.

It was as if their past and history together had no significance to him at all. They survived their race and village being destroyed before their eyes together and they even escaped together. The five of them - Bojack, Bido, Kogu, Bujin, and herself - had later formed an allegiance as the Galaxy Soldiers with the primary goal of destroying the one that resulted in the near extinction of their race and the loss of their home.

And as a result of their allegiance, they quickly got stronger through any means possible - conquering those that stood in their way and even those that didn't.

Perhaps they did get high off of the power and somewhat corrupted with hatred and revenge along the way, but Zangya thought that Bojack would have at least had more care for one of his _own_ comrades at least.

What's more is that they had even been trapped in a star - _together_ \- by the four Kai's and he had the audacity to disregard her as some weak object?

Granted Bojack was the leader of the Galaxy Soldiers, but after all the times they shared together - not only as comrades and friends...as well as lovers - how dare he belittle and humiliate her?

 _"What difference will a brat make?" Bojack released a sinister chuckle, suddenly digging his boot into a surprised Zangya, eliciting a pained cry from her as well as an expression of shock from the remaining Bojack crew. "I'll tell you what." He was talking to 18. "The others are done for, but there's still a chance for you; you can replace this trash."_

 _Zangya's eyes widened, "Master Bojack, what are you — "_

 _Bojack merely pressed down harder on her chest, eliciting another piercing scream. The cruel man merely continued. "— Losing by any means is not acceptable and is punishable by death."_

 _The blonde narrowed her eyes, but before she could respond, Gohan beat her to the punch. His teeth was bared and his fists were clenched as he angry regarded Bojack. "How could you say such a thing?! Does your comrades lives mean nothing to you?!"_

 _Bojack looked annoyed. "Should they? They're just pawns to use as I deem fit." Unaware of how much his words angered Gohan, he diverted his attention onto Bujin and Bido as soon as Gohan lunged for him. "Get him." He ordered boredly._

 _To the surprise of Gohan, they did as he ordered as they were preparing to attack him— something that angered him even more. "I'm not the one you should be fighting!" He seethed, cocking a fist back as he unconsciously powered up to SSJ2 with a snarl, "How can you still listen to someone who has your comrade beneath his boot?! Doesn't that bother you at all?! Don't you care?!"_

 _"You two are just as bad as he is!" Gohan summed up furiously, as he didn't receive a response from either Bujin or Bido, literally tearing through Bido with a kick, and Bujin with a punch. Both were dead before they hit the ground. Bojack sneered, harshly kicking Zangya in between them. "Take another step and she's dead." He had all but formed a ki blast in his hand and was ready to blow her to smithereens._

 _But Gohan was unfazed, blinded by his anger. With narrowed eyes, Gohan had all but phased out of sight, appearing in between Bojack and Zangya, "MASENKO!" He cried fiercely, swallowing up Bojack's attack and Bojack himself in the process with his huge ki blast._

At the memory, Zangya closed her eyes and halted mid-stride. Seven years had passed and she still remembered it just as vividly, huh? Or was it because she was in Hell and she knew that she would eventually cross paths with him? Zangya's blue eyes opened, her traditional smirk all but gone. If she could have killed him then, she would have did it herself. It was because of him that any trust she had for others was completely shattered. And even after Bulma opened up her home to her and even after many years within Bulma's household, she still remained pretty distant.

Granted, she eventually opened up to them over years to come and even started dating (and eventually lived with) 17, but her distrust for others remained and there was seemingly nothing she could do to rid of it completely. That didn't mean that she didn't somewhat care for Bulma, Tarble, and Trunks as well as the Briefs...she simply couldn't allow herself to remove that barrier she had up between them and herself. And even though she and Vegeta had mutual respect for one another, she wouldn't go as far as to say that she cared about him.

And she was quite sure that went both ways.

Which was fine given that the only thing Vegeta cared about seemed to be training anyway.

And as for 17, it had simply been too hard to connect with him and given that they both had issues of their own, it just wasn't something that would work nor make things better for either of them. Their personalities were too similar and there wasn't much of an "us" with them; they both just did their own thing and it wasn't much of a relationship at all.

And his twin sister certainly wasn't any better.

The blonde Android just didn't realize how made she had it and it angered her.

Raditz spoiled her, he even had a job and provided for her and their kids, and that was something she never had the glory of experiencing and she wanted that. Bojack was hardly anything to boast about and 17 and her didn't even really have a relationship. Zangya's brows furrowed further in anger. When was she going to have her turning point in life? When was she going to be able to completely adjust? As long as she could never fully trust anyone, would she ever be satisfied?

Zangya's brows furrowed further if possible.

After all, Bojack had completely ruined her.

~(0)~

Vegeta harrumphed.

Majority of the Saiyans in Hell were nothing but low-class trash. How could they be content with their current strength? How could they be content period? The mere thought infuriated him beyond levels he couldn't process. What's more is that there wasn't even anyone around for a decent warm-up in this hell hole; this was quite pathetic.

Even more pathetic was how Nappa, as well as many others, had the nerve to approach him in hopes of achieving some sort of revenge.

Apparently his little show from the last time, with Zarbon, Dodoria, and Jeice, did little to curb _all_ of the trash unfortunately.

Either way, it looked as if he was going to be spending the rest of his life here apparently, so he supposed it was better than nothing. But Vegeta would much rather confront someone strong like Frieza or Cell and show them their place. No more dealing with those that wanted half-baked revenge on him for destroying their planets or villages and no more dealing with small fries like Frieza's henchman.

He wanted someone that was somewhat worth his time, at least.

"Vegeta?"

The Saiyan in question halted mid-stride, craning his head towards the source.

It was none other than his father.

Why wasn't he surprised?

And it looked as if he had Bardock and Gine with him as well.

"Prince Vegeta." Bardock addressed formerly, bowing once.

Gine did the same as well, a small smile on her features. "You've gotten quite big, Prince Vegeta."

The Saiyan prince scoffed, having nothing to say to either Bardock or Gine. Instead, his eyes focused onto his father, narrowing slightly. "Is there something I can help you with?"

King Vegeta looked somewhat taken aback by his son's demeanor, but managed to recover nonetheless. "I've heard much about you from Raditz when he was here and - "

" - I don't have time for a trip down memory lane if that's what you're looking for." Vegeta all but interrupted sharply. "I have more important matters to tend to."

And without so much as an word to King Vegeta or the others, Vegeta had all but dismissed himself from the trio. He didn't have time to deal with them.

No, he would much rather seek out Frieza and make him pay.

~(0)~

"You broke it!" Kibito mused aloud with disbelief.

Shin's eyes were just as wide as Kibito's and unfortunately, it was just as his assistant stated. The legendary Z-sword, the one of which was supposed to grant access to immense power, was destroyed and no amount of blinking and gaping would change that.

Unfortunately.

Meanwhile, Gohan, whom had finally managed to recover, released a sigh as his shoulders all but slumped. Was his efforts for naught? He had spent a lot of time devoted towards dislodging the Z-sword, eventually having to go Super Saiyan, and now this happens? He hadn't even been training with the sword for long and that was what made the situation all the more worse.

The Sayain teen released a groan; _now_ what would happen from here?

Wasn't this sword supposed to aid him in taking down Majin Buu?

And Kibito expressed just that, a heavy frown on his features as he turned to face the Supreme Kai. "With all due respect, sir, this is why I heavily disagreed with having a mere mortal on our planet. Granted, he did eventually dislodge the sword but it's practically useless now as is."

Shin's eyes diverted onto Kibito's eyes, narrowing slightly. "Enough of that, Kibito. A mortal being on our planet has nothing to do with the situation. Besides," Shin continued, his eyes diverting onto Gohan and sending the male a well-needed reassuring smile, "Gohan isn't a typical mortal. When are you finally going to realize that, Kibito?"

Reluctantly, Kibito piped down whilst Shin all but trekked towards a visibly guilty Gohan; it was clear the young Saiyan felt bad. "Worry not, Gohan, I'm sure we'll figure out another method from here."

"I've been trapped in that sword for more years than I can count and I'm finally free!"

Gohan, Kibito and the Supreme Kai perked up noticeably, their eyes near instantaneously diverting onto the source. But the sight their eyes met wasn't the sight that they expected at all. After all, it was a purple-skinned male, dressed in the same garbs the Supreme Kai was donning, but why? Shin's eyes diverted off of the newcomer and onto Kibito; though, judging by Kibito's expression, it was clear that Kibito didn't recognize him either.

Not good.

"Uh," The Supreme Kai began after a pregnant pause, "I'm sorry, but just who are you? And how did you get here?"

The one in question cocked a white brow, though his smile remained. "Can you really not tell? The earrings? The garbs? To put it simply - " the older Kai pointed a purple finger at Shin - "I'm merely an older version of you. More specifically, an Supreme Kai from about fifteen generations ago."

Both Shin and Kibito gaped at the revelation, unable to believe their ears. How could such a thing be possible?! It sounded so simple yet was quite the contrary when it came to actually processing the information.

"My, oh my," The Old Kai proceeded after some thought, "Maybe if I explain to you what happened to me and why I'm still alive, it'll wipe off those confused expressions of yours."

Though, the Old Kai had a feeling that it would probably just lead to more confusion and more questions, but he supposed that he would cross that bridge whenever they got to it.

~(0)~

Vegeta's black eyes scanned around as he trekked further into Hell.

Just where was he?

Vegeta knew Frieza was around here somewhere. After all, Frieza spent most of his time interfering with his life when Vegeta didn't want him to and _now_ Frieza was suddenly hard to locate when Vegeta was actively seeking him out? The irony of it all.

The Saiyan Prince scoffed; nonetheless, he continued his trek.

This was doing nothing but adding onto his pre-existing irritation and anger. After all, as much as he hated to admit it, he had more questions than he had answers at this point. For instance, if bonds, like what Raditz and Kakarot had (as well as himself), wasn't the source of great power, then what was? What was he overlooking and what had Frieza done to have such overwhelming power?

As he mused previously, Frieza didn't have any bonds of the sort.

All the being was obsessed with was conquering and claiming ownership of everything he could so much as reach, touch and see.

Vegeta's features scrunched up in further irritation.

All in all, Freiza had a goal and simply worked towards it. Hadn't he done the same? Hadn't he always worked towards obtaining his birthright and his rightful power? If anything, he has always worked ironically hard for someone of his status to get the things he desired. Needless to say, he took things by force and by any other methods available to accomplish his needs and desires, so how could that not be enough?

Why was he still lagging behind? How come his efforts still came up short and why did it seem as if everything he did backfired on him?

Could it be possible that since he was so used to working hard yet failing in many instances, that he wasn't putting out as much effort as he thought he was into his goals due to being let down in the end? Was such a thing even possible? Was he truly capable of _not_ putting his all into something he wanted?

Given his nature and his relentless persistence, it wasn't something Vegeta wanted to believe, but perhaps that would explain why Frieza was powerful without bonds and why Raditz and Kakarot were powerful with bonds. What's more is that it could even possibly explain why he was on the back burner, while already having such bonds and ties.

Or was it something else that he wasn't entirely sure of?

What if he never really truly accepted his bonds and that was why he was lacking in strength?

Vegeta 'tsked' loudly, audibly disagreeing with his thoughts; now he was just thinking in circles. Didn't he muse earlier that Frieza and even many others such as Cell, were powerful without such bonds? Now here he was thinking that maybe the issue wasn't that he wasn't putting his all into his desires, but that maybe he hadn't fully accepted the bonds he made?

"Ho!" A familiar voice greeted, evilly chuckling seconds later. "Looks like there really is another monkey roaming around here! Zarbon's and Jeice's words turned out to be true. I suppose maybe I should have put more faith in the rumors I caught wind of after all, eh?"

Frieza's grin widened whilst Vegeta, having been roused from his thoughts by Frieza, merely harrumphed. "Perhaps, but it's not like it would have made you any more adept at taking me on."

Frieza's grin fell in just the slightest of ways, eyeing his father, Cooler, and Cell out of his peripheral. It would seem as if he had a few reminders to dish out to the monkey before him. As long as Vegeta has been under his care, the Prince of Monkey's should know better than to mouth off to him - let alone try to humiliate him in front of others.

"Ohh?" Frieza echoed. "Last I recall - "

" - What you recall is completely irrelevant." Vegeta interrupted easily.

From behind, Cell chuckled. "Well, well, looks like someone has gotten even more arrogant since the last time we encountered one another. I didn't believe such a thing was possible."

Vegeta couldn't stop the smirk that appeared on his features if he wanted to. If anything, he was much different compared to the last time he faced Frieza and Cell. In the instance with Frieza, he had been unable to go Super Saiyan; however, lo and be hold he had mastered that, Ascended Super Saiyan and even Super Saiyan 2. And as for Cell, the last time they faced one another, he was unable to transform into a Super Saiyan 2.

Needless to say, things had well since changed since he faced either of the two males.

And they were in for quite the surprise.

One he didn't mind unraveling before the both of them, but unfortunately for Cell and anyone else, Freiza was _first_ on his list.

He hadn't been able to make Frieza pay for all of his transgressions and all of the things Frieza put him through on Planet Namek, so he wouldn't allow this opportunity to slip past his fingers. Things would not be like how they were last time and the battle wouldn't be one-sided by any means.

Or rather, he was going to be the one dishing out the damage.

So without further ado, Vegeta moved to do just that - all but spreading his white boots apart as he readied himself for battle.

The Saiyan Prince couldn't help but note that Frieza did the same, but the flame-haired Saiyan mentally mused that it was futile - as no matter how much Frieza powered up, the tyrant would never be enough to compete with him as he was now.

Of course, if Frieza and anyone else wanted to make a fool out of themselves, he wouldn't stop them from doing so by any means.

And to boot, it looked as if they were gaining more of an audience as the conversation continued on.

"Well then," Frieza interjected smoothly, "what do you say we get on with this already?"

"You read my mind." Vegeta stated simply. "Though I daresay you should go ahead and jump into your final form if you want any hopes of keeping up with me."

Frieza blinked, before boisterously laughing as if Vegeta was talking a completely differently language. "Oh, my! Quite the tongue you have there; I've always hated that about you, but I'm certainly not against putting you in your place. You know similar to what I've _always_ done with you in the past."

Vegeta harrumphed, opening his mouth to respond, yet any form of words he had near died at the sight of an familiar face within the huge crowds that circled around them. "What...in the world?"

What was _she_ doing here? Shouldn't she be on Earth? Free-loading just like that pathetic brother of his?

Was this some sort of a joke? Or a mistake or something?

Vegeta clenched his fists as his thoughts continued.

It just had to be, right?

But deep down, Vegeta knew that whether he wanted to believe it or not, there was just no mistaking those _ridiculous_ orange curls.

Before his eyes was none other than Zangya.

There was just no mistaking it.


	29. Chapter 29

A/N: Thanks for all of the support/feedback/reviews! Much appreciated!

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DoodleQueen66: Haha! Bulma can be over the top at times, but she certainly has the best intentions for the most part!

Gamelover41592: Yes, they both are facing some problems unfortunately!

coldblue2015: Great review! PM'ing you now in regards to it!

Abyss Trinity: Thanks! It's pretty hard to keep Vegeta in character sometimes, so I'm glad I'm doing good with his thoughts thus far!

Kirbylover99: Oh wow, you have no idea how happy that makes me! I'm really glad you enjoyed the prequel and that you're currently enjoying the sequel! I'm stoked that you binged both of them! As far as leaving the Buu saga, the final fight, into someone else's hands besides Vegeta and Goku, I'm still drawing up an outline per-say on events I want to happen and I'm currently thinking on what I want to happen with that! It's pretty conflicting because I want the minor characters to have more time to shine, but at the same time I have a lot of things in store that could potentially hinder that!

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Bit of a short chapter compared to the others, but I'm really trying to stick to introducing Super Buu in Chapter 31 so the next chapter may be a little lengthy considering Evil Buu will have to come up eventually.

* * *

Chapter 29: Goku's Time Is Up

* * *

Bulma was going through a whirlwind of emotions and it was like the more she tried to process everything, the more her emotions and questions seemingly accumulated. Why didn't Vegeta mention mating to her? Granted, he was no Raditz and certainly no Goku, but Vegeta definitely came around; in contrast to his original personality, Vegeta was a lot more open.

Or rather, a lot more tolerant of her and their family.

After all, the original Vegeta would have never slept in a bed with her, nor would he have _ever_ given her the time of day; slowly but surely he was coming around and that showed in the smallest of things, but the tournament proved to be a major setback in their relationship. And as if that wasn't enough to deal with as is, now she was finding out that Saiyans could _mate_?

The blue-haired scientist felt overwhelmed.

This was just way too much to process in one day. Or perhaps it was just the fact that so much had already happened today that it was leaving her in a vulnerable state. The blue-haired beauty ran her delicate fingers through her hair, biting her bottom lip in obvious frustration. Could some of this be her fault? Was there something she failed to notice before the tournament? Could she have prevented this?

Bulma distractedly bit her lip harder.

 _No_ ; this wasn't her fault by any means.

If anything, Vegeta seemed perfectly normal before the tournament and it wasn't until later on, when he, Goku, Tarble, and Gohan reappeared in the center of the ring, that Vegeta had acted completely out of character. Besides, she had already speculated that there was a connection between the insignia on his forehead and his actions at the tournament. And, further, she had already speculated that Spopovich, of whom had the same insignia, had displayed abnormal power and capabilities whilst fighting against Videl.

All in all, she had speculated that Vegeta may have willingly succumbed to such power just to settle his pathetic rivalry with Goku.

Though, if she had to be honest with herself, there was also the possibility that he didn't willingly succumb to such power, but she just couldn't find it within herself to believe that. There was just no way that someone as prideful as Vegeta would do something he didn't want to, right?

Bulma closed her eyes, exhaling soundlessly.

Didn't she make up her mind to talk to Android 18?

There was no point in theorizing to the point of driving herself crazy; she'd just be stressing herself out in the end.

So, mind seemingly made up, Bulma moved to just that - approach Android 18 and get to the bottom of things. Naturally, she'd ask about what Android 18 knew about Vegeta and what happened and then afterwards she'd ask for more details on the process of Saiyan mating.

Or, at least that was Bulma's intentions.

Unfortunately, it was incredibly hard to will her body to move for some reason.

Why was that? Didn't she want to know the truth? Didn't she want her questions answered? As well as her peace of mind back?

 _Dear Kami_... What was wrong with her?

This wasn't the time to be reluctant or afraid; she _needed_ to do this.

How else was she going to get her questions answered if she didn't seek out the truth?

So, using her mental pep talk to herself as motivation, Bulma tried to move again and _this_ time she found herself more than able to walk. And with slow yet determined steps, the small woman made her way back to where the others were. Immediately, her blue eyes scanned around for a certain blonde Android but instead ran into the sight of many crestfallen faces.

Bulma cocked a brow; this sure wasn't the sight she expected. "Guys?" She called out tentatively, trekking further towards the center of the Lookout where everyone else was. "What's going on?"

"Goku's gone back now." Chi-Chi was first to respond, tears brimming her black eyes.

"What?" Bulma responded back weakly. "He's gone?! Why didn't anyone come get me?!"

"Well to be fair, Bul," Yamcha addressed with a cocked brow, "18 told us that you were taking a personal call and we all agreed not to bother you; it's not like we didn't want to tell you."

Bulma's shoulders slumped guilty. Just how long did she spend wallowing in her thoughts? Had time really passed her by that quickly? If anything, she did honor her excuse to Android 18 and called to check on her parents and that took up quite the time - seeing as they had no intentions of relocating to the Lookout and she spent a lot of time trying to convince them otherwise. Afterwards, upon realizing that her parents just weren't going to listen to her, she spent the remaining time entertaining her thoughts and feelings.

"Besides," 17 interjected coolly, comfortingly rubbing a hand atop of Goten's head, "It's not like this was a permanent goodbye; Goku will return soon enough."

Krillin's features lit up at the reminder, missing the way Maron's smile widened at the sight of his excitement. "Yeah! 17's right, you guys. Sure, we all hate to seem him go, but he'll be back soon enough and we shouldn't forget that."

Yamcha offered a light smile. "Yeah, that's right; that's the most important part, after all!"

Despite 17, Krillin's, and Yamcha's attempts, Goten was still quite saddened. After all, he had just met his dad today and they didn't really spend much time together - at least not doing things that he would have liked to have done.

Naturally, Chi-Chi and Marise seemed to take note of this.

"Oh, Goten," Chi-Chi murmured, unable to resist pulling her little boy into her arms. "Your father will be with us soon enough. He made a promise to me earlier and in order for him to fulfill that promise, he _has_ to come back; Your father has always been a man of his word, if nothing else."

Marise hummed her agreement, offering her cousin a small smile. "That's what Papa says too!"

Goten seemed more or less reassured, a smile slowly making it's way back to his face. "You really mean it?"

"Of course." Chi-Chi promised lovingly.

"Goten," Trunks called out knowingly, "if it makes you feel any better, I'll let you have five toys of mine when this is all over."

"Wow!" Goten exclaimed excitedly, diverting all of his attention onto his best friend. "I can really have _five_ toys?"

Trunks grinned. "Yup! Any five you want!"

Tarble chuckled lightly at the interaction whilst Ranfan, Videl, and Susan couldn't help but do the same. Afterwards, Tarble's eyes found his eyes shifting over onto Piccolo, "Well, then, what do you say we get back into the swing of things? The sooner this is all over, the better right?"

"Yeah," Yamcha interjected before Piccolo could respond. "If things get better, maybe I can relay some better news to Tien. I hated to have to be the one to brief him in, but I couldn't lie to him when he asked about everything - especially since he has a right to know to what was going on considering Launch is pregnant and all."

Master Roshi hummed. "That's still something I can't quite get used to, but if Tien needs some extra hands around the house - "

" - _Can it_." Chi-Chi interrupted with narrowed eyes. The raven-haired woman already knew where the perverted man was going and wasn't in the mood to hear his perverse jokes. _And_ he should especially know better given his age as well as the fact that he was around both the twins and Goten and Trunks.

"Anyway," Piccolo cut in, eyes diverting onto Tarble. "We'll get back into the swing of things as soon as Raditz comes back and we'll pick up from there; we can't waste the time that Goku bought for us; we have two full days at our disposal."

"Well," Oolong butt in thoughtfully, "A little break couldn't hurt, right? After all, you, Tarble, Raditz and the boys have been training like crazy - or even more so - the minute Goku returned back from fighting Majin Buu up until Goku left a few minutes ago. Plus like you just said, there's still two more days."

"That's true," Piccolo agreed, "but given the nature of our opponent, we need to take advantage of _every second_ in order to have the upper hand on Majin Buu. If we ease up on training now, I have the feeling that things will backfire."

Oolong didn't seem to agree on the matter completely; nonetheless, he dropped it. It just seemed as if the boys and everyone else were taking training a bit too extreme, but he supposed the only thing that mattered was getting rid of Majin Buu at the end of the day.

~(0)~

Raditz swallowed the remnants of the water within the small plastic bottle, squeezing it into a ball and then throwing said plastic into the trash once he was finished.

He couldn't wait until all of this was over.

Granted, he didn't mind continuously training, but this felt different in some aspects - of which Raditz wasn't sure that he could explain. All Raditz knew was that he was more or less feeling like he did back when training for the Cell Games, but training to take on Majin Buu felt _slightly_ different.

Was it because there was a lot more at stake this time around?

Back then, he didn't have a wife or two kids and while he did have Kakarot's family to look after at the time, having two families to look after now was obviously more responsibility. Or rather, given that he has also been looking out for Bulma and Trunks back then as well, it was more or less _three_ families that he was currently looking after these days.

Regardless if Vegeta was alive or not, he and Bulma were rather close and he would always look out after her and Trunks; if anything, it was the least he could do for her given what she has done for him.

The SSJ3 Saiyan then found himself shifting his teal eyes onto his hands, taking in the yellow aura of which immersed his entire body. With this power coursing through his veins, things would surely go different the next time he confronted Majin Buu. Unlike last time, there wouldn't be a time limit of any sorts, so there wouldn't be any pressure in that sense.

"How much longer do you intend to ignore me?"

Raditz's teal eyes shifted onto 18, taking in her calm and collected features before diverting his teal eyes back in front of him. "I needed to think."

18 cocked a brow. "And ignoring me helps you think?"

"It's nothing like that." Raditz dismissed easily.

18 didn't look convinced, but nonetheless decided to hear him out. "Then _what_ is it?"

"I was upset with you earlier." He revealed. "You were aware that I didn't want you fighting, yet you did so anyway. As a result, Zangya was killed, I was unable to go back into the Time Chamber and Kakarot ended up burning through his time a lot more faster than he would have originally. In short, a lot of things happened as a result of your actions, Lazuli."

18 opened her mouth to respond, but Raditz beat her to it, continuing, "What made me upset the most, however, was that it could have been _you_ that was killed instead of Zangya or even the both of you could have been killed. What if Kakarot and I had been a second late? Marise and Taro would have not only been without their eldest cousin, but without their mother as well."

Near instantaneously, guilt flooded 18's pretty features.

And at the sight, Raditz's hard gazed eased up slightly as he eventually turned around to face the blonde. "Not only that but it upsets me that you're still trying to bare things alone. I know I promised you that I would give you time to come around when things were bothering you, but we've been together for about seven years and we have two kids together. I don't know how many times I have to keep reminding you of that and I would have figured that by now...things would be easier between us, but I guess not."

Then as if considering his next words, Raditz paused for a moment, before picking back up, "So I guess my question to when is when are you going to start trusting me?"

18 blinked. Granted, she gave Raditz a bit of a hard time when it came to things that bothered her, but it certainly wasn't because she didn't trust him. Perhaps it was a good idea on her part to take Bulma's advice and seek out her husband, after all. "How could you imply that I don't trust you?"

Raditz shot his wife an incredulous look. "Because you don't, Lazuli.

18 frowned, blonde brows furrowing. "That's not true. If anything, it's out of habit not out of distrust for you."

"Out of habit, huh? Even after seven years?"

18's frown deepened. "What are you saying?"

"All I'm saying is that I trusted you enough to go through with the Saiyan mating process with you, despite the possibility of death, and for you to not even be able to trust me is an insult. How the hell am I suppose to believe that it's a "habit" issue and not a trust issue when you didn't even trust me enough to _not_ interfere and take on Majin Buu?"

18 fell quiet and Raditz scoffed lightly. "I'm going to get back to training with Piccolo, Tarble and the boys. We have a lot of work to do if we're going to see if the boys can actually tap into SSJ3. I think Piccolo's going to train with Tarble and I'm going to train with Goten and Trunks since they've officially mastered the actual technique, so we can talk later."

Android 18 said nothing in response and even if she wanted to, Raditz certainly didn't wait around for her to do so as her husband was quickly leaving her within the dinning area of the Lookout and proceeding to head to where Piccolo was. She couldn't believe Raditz thought that she didn't trust him. Was this what Zangya had been referring to?

"Hey, 18," Bulma called out tentatively.

The blonde bombshell guessed that Bulma may have overheard everything; nonetheless, 18 coolly diverted her eyes onto the blue-haired woman. And once Bulma saw that she had 18's attention, she continued. "Do you mind if we talk for a bit? There's some things that I need to know; I need answers."

Silence.

Bulma offered a genuine smile, "And perhaps if you're up to it, we can talk about you and Raditz afterwards if you want."

If Android 18 heard Bulma's offer, she certainly didn't address it; if anything, the icy-eyed beauty much preferred to cut straight to the point. "Is this about Saiyan mating?"

"Well, yes," Bulma answered truthfully, "but first I would like to know about Vegeta. I have a few speculations in mind, but my speculations are probably weightless in comparison to the truth."

"And you came to _me_?"

"Yeah, I know it seems a bit off, but I don't really want to ask Tarble or Raditz; I'm not sure if Tarble is ready to talk about something like that just yet and they're both pretty occupied with training anyway."

"Alright," Android 18 finally agreed after some thought, "I'll answer whatever I can."


	30. Chapter 30

A/N: Once more, all support/feedback is appreciated! Also, I really wanted to get to Evil Buu introduced by the end of this chapter, but this chapter would have been way too long, so I reluctantly had to split them up. Sorry it took so long! I'm not aiming to do chapters once a month, but I'd like to do chapters bi-weekly if not weekly. I'm a bit behind, but I'm aiming to get to Evil Buu at least within chapter 32.

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Gamelover41592: Tell me about it! It was pretty tough to write, but it seemed pretty necessary so they can work on mending things!

coldblue2015: PM'ing you now! Great review!

AAASSA: Alrighty, not sure if you've made it to this point but you ask what's the point. The point aka the foundation of this story is laid out and pretty self-explanatory in the Prequel. What if Raditz didn't die basically and if Goku gave Raditz a second chance (of which Raditz actually took advantage of) and became a Z-fighter? This is the sequel to that prequel. I personally don't believe Raditz is a mary-sue because he's far from perfect and I've even shown him to struggle with things here and there and even have an imperfect SSJ3 form. You've also mentioned an inconsistency with my logic of fusion dance pertaining to Raditz and Goku, but this also fictional work. I'm not following every single thing precisely and I'm throwing in my own creative spin in the mix of things.

If you have further concerns or questions, you can PM me if you'd like.

Raikaguken: Glad to see you've taken an interest in this! If you have any questions at all, please PM me.

* * *

Chapter 30: Majin Buu Meets Hercule! Behold, Gotenks!

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Hercule wanted nothing more but to double over and pretend as if he was going through one of his infamous stomach pains; however, it didn't seem as if he'd be able to - let alone get himself out of the situation.

Not when he was pit against Majin Buu.

What's more is that Hercule found himself, involuntarily by all means, heading for the source of the havoc. Now, by no means was Hercule a coward when it came to normal people like him - people preferably weaker than him - but when it came to a _thing_ such as Majin Buu. How was he supposed to stand up to such a being that could turn people into _chocolate_? Hercule heard about all of the reports regarding Majin Buu and it near terrified him - each report more so than the last.

And just when he didn't think things could get worse than Cell, here came Majin Buu.

Needless to say, Majin Buu was someone he didn't ever want to think of approaching.

Yet his means of transportation and billions of fans said otherwise.

Hercule groaned. Where were those guys from the Cell games? Why weren't _they_ handling this? They showed up any other time and now when he wanted them to show up, they weren't anywhere to be found?

Just his luck.

"Mr. Satan," a male addressed with a relieved expression, "I got to say that I'm glad you're going to take care of things once and for all! Then things will finally go back to normal!"

"Haha! Well, _of course_!" Hercule boasted loudly, "That's why you have the World Champion here - to take that thing down! There won't be any more casualties on my watch! I can guarantee it!"

Little did his operator know, as well as the rest of the world that was counting on him to take Majin Buu down, Hercule wasn't feeling confident by any means. If anything, he was scared _witless._ And unfortunately, there wasn't anything he could do to get himself out of this situation but pray to Kami and hope for some sort of miracle.

Was the little duffel bag full of poisons, explosives and more even enough to kill such a creature?

Hercule gulped audibly; he guess he would just have to find out.

~(0)~

Buu hummed happily as he continued building his clay home. The pink creature was humming a tune only familiar to him whilst he continued smoothing over the soft clay - said clay was composed out of animals that he'd turned into clay using his transfiguration beam via his antenna. After all, his opponent didn't tell him he couldn't turn people into things, he just asked him not to kill.

Overall, once eventually finished, Buu was notably satisfied with his handiwork.

As well as excited.

Buu's childish grin widened even more and the pink male found himself skipping into his new home.

~(0)~

"What's going on?"

Dende, of whom had been observing everything taking place on Earth in silence, spared a glance towards the source of the voice that called out to him. It was none other than Krillin and the small monk looked genuinely concerned with what was taking place on Earth. Then again, considering everything that has taken place so far, Dende wasn't faulting him for his concern.

If anything, the small Namekian cracked a light smile. "Well, it seems as if Majin Buu has heeded Goku's words somewhat."

Krillin cocked a light brow. "...Somewhat?"

"Mm," Dende responded lightly. "While he isn't necessarily outright killing anyone per say, he has been turning people into objects here and there. In other words, Majin Buu doesn't seem to entirely understand what Goku meant, but for now it seems as if things are calm at least."

"Or," Dende tacked on as a forethought before Krillin could respond, a sad smile gracing his features, "at least calmer than what they have been."

"Yeah, I guess you could say that again."

"To be honest," Dende continued, eyes diverting back in front of him, "I'm wondering if it's possible for Majin Buu to just stay to himself. I know it sounds silly and unlikely, but violence and killing is really all Majin Buu was exposed to. Perhaps being exposed to Goku, even though it wasn't for long, could turn things around somewhat given that Babidi and Bibidi are both deceased. "

And even though, Krillin respected Dende's thoughts, Krillin couldn't say that he agreed with them. This was Majin Buu they were talking about after all. Not only did he kill Gohan and the Supreme Kai, but he also _survived_ Vegeta's self-sacrifice attack. Could a being like that, despite being seemingly child-like, really be capable of changing? Further more, was finding that out something they even wanted to risk in the first place?

Krillin didn't think so - not after everything they've been through thus far at least.

He had Maron to consider, Tarble had Ranfan, Yamcha had Susan Marie and Puar, Tien had a pregnant Launch and Chiaotzu - they all had loved ones - and he would be much more comfortable if Majin Buu was erased from existence _completely_.

And the former monk relayed just that.

~(0)~

Hercule gulped as he observed Majin Buu from a distance.

Why was he doing this again?

For a moment, Hercule remained as is and if he could have it his way, he would have certainly stayed that way. But then again, if he could get this over with, maybe that was just as good, right?

Hercule groaned for the umpteenth time; it would be better if he wasn't in this situation at all, but he supposed he could at least try and make the most of it. As much as he hated to admit it, his fans would never let him live this down if he turned tail now. His status - everything - was at stake here. Ironically, if Hercule had a penny for every time he has been in a situation like this, he'd be rich.

If he wasn't already rich, of course.

Reluctantly, the World Champion ceased his thoughts and made his way towards the clay home of which resembled a dog. In a way, Hercule realized that Majin Buu was nothing more than a huge (and dangerous) child. Not only had this Majin Buu character been turning people into chocolate or whatever food or sweet it was his childish heart desired, but now he had built a dog-like house out of clay? If anything, that more or less gave the purple-eyed male an idea.

If his explosives or poisons didn't work, maybe he could manipulate him - considering that he was really as childish as he appeared, obviously.

The high-pitched ring of the doorbell tore him out of his thoughts, Hercule realizing a mere second later that he had subconsciously pressed the doorbell out of habit. Near instantaneously, Hercule began to mentally berate himself for such an action; after all, who in their right mind would ring the door bell of their supposed target's home?

"Hmm?" A childish voice called out, head cocked in just the slightest of ways. "Who you? Buu never seen you before."

Unfortunately for Hercule, his words seemed to fail him at the most inconvenient time and he ended up going completely mute. At the sight of a speechless Hercule, Majin Buu only seemed more confused however and his head cocked even more if possible. "Do you want Buu to turn you into chocolate?"

Little did Buu know, those very words were just what Hercule needed in order to be snapped out of his reverie.

"N-No!" Hercule quickly insisted with wide eyes, "If anything, I just came here because I had chocolate for you!"

Buu's eyes seemingly lit up, a huge smile gracing his childish features. "Oh? You brought Buu chocolate?"

"Y-Yeah!" Hercule answered, digging a hand through the duffel bag and shakily giving it to the pink male before him. It was heavily laced with the best of poisons and if that didn't do the trick, then hopefully something else would.

~(0)~

 _"What?"_ Videl asked incredulously, eyes reflecting her disbelief. She couldn't believe her ears! "What does my dad think he's doing?"

"Well, apparently," Dende answered with a weak smile, "Hercule plans on using poisons and explosives, but I doubt that will do anything against Majin Buu."

"Of course not," Master Roshi wisely interjected with his arms resting behind his back. "Majin Buu's regenerative capabilities are unbelievable and - "

" - extend beyond Namekian's and Cell's regenerative capabilities." Oolong finished easily with slight irritation. "This has already been established countless times before, isn't the real question here whether or not, Hercule's interjection will be benefit us or make things worse. What if Hercule just ends up pissing Majin Buu off?"

"I agree," Yamcha intervened, releasing Susan's hand and trekking forwards a bit more, "After all, Hercule has never really done us any good in the past and always got in our way."

Despite the situation, Krillin couldn't help but chuckle. "Well I mean this is _Hercule_ we're talking about here. Does anyone expect anything from someone as path - "

An angry Videl clearly had enough, stamping her foot and clenching her fists in a bout of irritation and naturally, the action shut everyone up as all eyes diverted onto her. By this point, it was more than clear that her father probably wasn't responsible for defeating Cell (given the abnormal people she was currently around) as he was hailed for doing, but she refused to allow them to degrade her father like this.

They were making her father out to be some sort of scum or insect - like his very existence itself was undesirable.

And this certainly wasn't the first time they have done such a thing either as Videl clearly remembered the same thing happening more or less during the tournament. Just what did they have against her dad, anyway? What did her dad ever do to them? And did they really have no respect for her? They couldn't have any respect for her if they were blatantly talking about her father right in front of her.

Either way, she refused to let this continue.

Initially, she had headed over towards Dende so as to stay up to date with everything that was going on, but it would seem as if getting to the bottom of everyone's ill-feelings towards her father was just as important.

Then Videl's eyes were narrowing meaningfully, "Just what is it you people have against my dad? Why do you hate him so much?"

Krillin and Yamcha shared a glance, both males seemingly falling mute and unsure of what to say. Or rather anything more they had to say probably wouldn't have made things any better. Luckily, Chi-Chi interjected before the two males could potentially make things worse. "Knock it off, you two! I don't see you two down there trying to take Majin Buu down."

At Chi-Chi's harsh but true words, both men couldn't help but flinch. In a way, Chi-Chi was right. Really, the only ones that actually sought to do something about Majin Buu aside from Goku, Zangya, 18, Vegeta, and the others, was Hercule. And as this realization stuck with the two males, they found themselves guilt-ridden.

Yamcha was first to apologize followed by Krillin; however, Videl was too surprised to respond. The purple-eyed fighter couldn't believe that Chi-Chi actually stood up for her. After all, Videl had been under the impression that Chi-Chi didn't like her. Then again, after the whole situation with Spopovich and the tournament, it seemed as if Chi-Chi was easing up towards her now that she thought about it.

Fortunately, her expression didn't betray her thoughts. After all, she could be wrong and she didn't want to push it. "Uh, thanks."

Chi-Chi offered the young teenager a light smile in response and Bulma couldn't help but chuckle, "Oh, if Chi-Chi didn't say anything, _I_ definitely would have. Even if Chi-Chi can be a bit out there sometimes, her intentions are usually good for the most part."

Chi-Chi cocked a brow, taking slight offense to Bulma's words. What did Bulma mean that she was out there sometimes? Was Bulma seriously implying what Chi-Chi thought she was? Chi-Chi's black eyes narrowed in just the slightest of ways, hands on her hips, "And just what does _that_ mean?"

Videl, Master Roshi, Oolong, Krillin, Yamcha and Dende wisely kept their mouths shut and stayed out of this one. Needless to say, the women went back and forth with their typical banter and from afar, Ranfan and Maron watched on in silence. Meanwhile, paying no mind to what everyone else had going on, Raditz was still training with the boys whilst Piccolo trained with Tarble.

"You're getting better." Piccolo complimented, his eyes trailing Tarble's movements.

At Piccolo's compliment, Tarble's teal eyes lit up. "Really?"

"Yeah," Piccolo responded easily, swatting a ki blast from Tarble off to the side before firing out one of his own. "You're starting to put more thought behind your attacks and they're becoming less predictable as a result."

Tarble's eyes widened slightly as he processed Piccolo's words. Less predictable, huh? It looked like fighting Krillin at the tournament and then training with Raditz was really helping him out more than he thought. Sure, Vegeta did originally help him ascend and was the first to train him per say, but fighting with other opponents was helping him adapt for the greater good. He was learning that everyone had a particular fighting style that differentiated them from the rest and he was learning a few things along the way.

The only thing that was bothering him was the fact that he was still behind in terms of strength and there was no way he could catch up to the others in the allotted time. He really wanted to be of use and help get rid of Majin Buu. Tarble also wanted to avenge his older brother and protect those he loved, but was that too much to ask for given that they had so little time? He was still just as Super Saiyan 2 at the end of the day, right? So would that be enough?

A solid punch to the gut had Tarble doubling over and spluttering up blood with wide eyes.

"Don't go getting distracted," Piccolo reprimanded with narrowed eyes. Even though he did just compliment the younger Saiyan before him, it was clear that Tarble still had some things to work on. "It's important to stay focused while battling. If I was your enemy, that would have been the end of you."

Tarble looked slightly taken aback, guilt flooding his features. After all, he couldn't afford any distractions at the moment. Luckily, he was able to get a hold of himself, "R-Right. Sorry."

Piccolo grunted, not really saying anything in response and the two males quickly picked up where they left off. Though, as for Raditz and the two demi-Saiyans however, it would seem as if they were far from distracted; if anything, they were determined and Raditz was realizing just how much potential the boys really had in the process.

It was incredible to say the least.

Especially since he didn't have nearly as much potential at their age and the same thing could be said for both Vegeta and Kakarot given that none of them actually achieved Super Saiyan until adulthood. Goten and Trunks were clearly different however given that they've become Super Saiyans at the mere ages of 7 and 8 respectively.

Raditz's teal eyes diverted onto his own children whom seemed to be keeping an somewhat distant 17 company; they were only three but back on Planet Vegeta, Saiyans were known to start purging planets as soon as four. So, already, Saiyans had quite the strength and potential at young ages and he couldn't help but wonder if the twins had some latent power or incredible potential like Goten and Trunks did; they were all demi-Saiyans, after all.

Would they be able to turn Super Saiyan by the ages of 7 or even 8 as well? Or even before that? Did he and 18 even want them fighting in the first place?

The teal-eyed Saiyan decided to think about such things later, after all, his full attention needed to stay on Goten and Trunks. Kakarot had somewhat bought them some time and it didn't make any sense to not take advantage of said time.

"Haa!"

Raditz snapped out of his reverie just in time, easily swatting away Goten and Trunks ki blasts. Not bad, but it wasn't enough for a monster like Majin Buu. Even so, Trunks and Goten clearly knew how to work together when it all came down to it and that was exactly what Zangya and Lazuli lacked upon fusing. Granted, the two females had the battle experience, but they were incompatible in a sense. Goten and Trunks lacked the battle experience, but they had the compatibility.

And while not having any battle experience was a clear problem, it was something that could be worked with.

Unfortunately, it would be a slow process seeing as things like that took time, but Raditz couldn't help but think that they should pick up the pacing of training just a bit. Without so much as batting an eye, Raditz pushed his thoughts aside and caught either of Trunks's and Goten's fists; they had been phasing in an out as a means of trying to throw him off guard before going in for the attack, but it fell short against the SSJ3 in the end.

"I think it's time for you two to finally fuse. Let's see how much potential you two have as one."

Trunks and Goten exchanged wide-eyed glances, the former speaking first. "W-Wait, seriously?"

Raditz was quick to respond. "Naturally. Besides, the basics are down-packed within you two and after sparing with the both of you, you clearly have compatibility. Now it's time for the next step."

At Raditz's explanation, the two seemed to overcome their slight surprise as they shared a grin.

"Alright!" Trunks cheered, simultaneously powering up aside Goten. "Let's do this, Goten!"

"Right!" Goten agreed.

And without further ado, the two boys began to fuse, all the while doing the motions and movements exactly how they were taught.

"FUUU...SION... _HAAA_!"

Immediately, a bright white light enveloped the two boys as their beings became one and for a moment, there was nothing but silence as everyone on the Look-out stopped what they were doing and focused on phenomena taking place.

"What power!" Piccolo commented from aside Tarble.

"Mm!" Tarble agreed. "It's kinda hard to believe that this is really coming from Trunks and Goten."

"I beg to differ," Master Roshi interjected, "those boys have shown immense potential, after all."

"You can say that again." Krillin muttered, shielding his eyes a bit from the intensity of the white light.

Luckily, the white light eventually disappeared and in its wake was a single form. Unlike Zangya's and 18's fusion, their clothing didn't seem to originate from their counterparts. If anything, the small boy was clad in white baggy pants held up with a green sash and was donning a dark blue and yellow vest. As for their hair, of which seemed to be both black and purple in color, was spiked upwards and easily defying gravity.

Granted, their fusion wasn't as strong as Zazuli's given the power level difference between the boys and Zangya and Android 18; however, the power coming from it was insane.

"Now would you look at that," Chi-Chi commented in awe with clasped hands, "they're absolutely adorable! What should we call them, Bulma?"

Bulma rested her pale hands on her hips, "Hmm, Trunkten?"

"Trunkten?" Chi-Chi echoed slowly, as if playing with the feel of the name from her lips.

"I could be wrong here, but I'm sure we don't have to worry about that," Piccolo reminded before the two women could carry on. "After all, Zazuli provided her name for us upon fusing, so I'd assume they'd have a name already as well."

Raditz shrugged, "Perhaps."

Then his teal eyes were diverting onto the fused being before them all, "So then, what do we call you?"

The young boy chuckled lightly as if it was the most obvious thing in the world; nonetheless, he answered. "The name's Gotenks and pretty soon Majin Buu will be done for!"

"Oh, my." Maron commented absentmindedly, seemingly taken aback.

And rightfully so as Gotenks seemed a bit arrogant.

"Now wait just a minute," Piccolo bit out gruffly, eyes narrowing meaningfully, "We are _not_ going to have a repeat of what happened with Zazuli. Do you boys understand?"

Gotenks seemed to brush off Piccolo's concerns with a laugh. "I think you should calm down. Who said anything about having a repeat? If anything, we're going to do what aunt Zazuli didn't do and defeat Majin Buu once and for all."

"That's enough." Raditz butted in with a scowl. He was beginning to get irritated with the young warrior before them. "Zazuli's fusion was stronger than yours and Zangya still ended up - "

" - No worries," Gotenks interrupted with a smirk. "Besides, we, Gotenks, are more than enough for Majin Buu. Not to mention with this power, we could probably even go way beyond what aunt Zazuli was capable of and even go Super Saiyan 3."

"Hey," Tarble called out somewhat worriedly, continuing once he had their attention, "Gotenks, you shouldn't let the power get to your head. We can't really afford any more mistakes."

Gotenks released a mock sigh of exasperation. "Jeez, I guess nothing I say is going to stop anyone from worrying, huh? Why don't I just go out and show you then? I'm getting tired of explaining myself here."

Then, before majority of the individuals could process what Gotenks was saying, the male was all but moving to do just as he said; he had every intentions of taking down Majin Buu and ending this whole thing altogether. Luckily, a SSJ3 Raditz had no problem phasing in before Gotenks, a heavy frown on his features. Though, his frown quickly turned into a smirk, "It's good that you're so eager to face Majin Buu, but I'm not letting you go just yet. We're not quite done training yet, after all."

"Training?" Gotenks repeated. "Didn't you hear me earlier? This is more than enough to defeat Majin Buu."

Raditz scoffed. "That's easy for you to say when you haven't faced Majin Buu at all like the rest of us, now have you? If you're still pretty confident even after realizing that, then why don't you just _try_ getting past me."

Gotenks harrumphed, sliding into his fighting stance. "Well then, fine, have it your way."


	31. Chapter 31

A/N: I appreciate all of the continued feedback and support! And sorry for the delay! I got hit with assignments and exams left and right. Unfortunately, there's still more to come. Updates will be much much faster when I graduate this semester, at least. For now, I'm going on a short hiatus since I can't really update how I want to. I graduate Dec. 18, so updates should resume promptly.

Gamelover41592: Glad you're enjoying it!

coldblue2015: Thanks! And awesome review; PM'ing you now!

DoodleQueen66: Haha, just gotta love Chi-Chi, right?

Argonian Dovahkiin : Not sure if you made it to this point since I think you recently reviewed chapter 12, but I was actually wondering if I was spending too much time on things. Leave more things to the reader's imagination? Thanks for the advice! I'll take it to heart and try not to narrate every single little thing from here on out and see how it goes with this chapter!

* * *

Chapter 31: Early Arrival, Super Buu...and Another Loss.

* * *

This was their last day.

Kakarot had managed to buy them two days of time after confronting Majin Buu and while yesterday had been full of intense training - with little to no breaks in between - today (day two) would most likely be the same.

If Gotenks could cooperate, that is.

After all, Gotenks seemed obsessed with "redeeming" himself after failing to get past Raditz - albeit several times. But if anything, Raditz rather Gotenks fail and learn while fighting him, than to fail and get killed by Majin Buu. Given everything they've been through thus far, Gotenks being killed by Buu was absolutely the _last_ thing they needed to happen.

"Today's the day we defeat you!" Gotenks declared matter-of-factly, pointing a finger at the teal-eyed Saiyan as if to further emphasize his point.

In response to Gotenks declaration, Raditz cocked a non-existent brow as he turned away from Tarble to face Gotenks. "Aren't you supposed to be training with Piccolo? I trained with you the whole day yesterday as well as the day before yesterday. I'm training with Tarble right now."

But Gotenks wasn't hearing that. The small, fused being could care less about the training schedule they were _supposed_ to be following. The only thing that mattered to him was proving Raditz wrong and then going on to take down Majin Buu. If he could defeat Raditz, then everyone on the Lookout would be forced to realize his power and stop treating him like a child. And to make matters worse, he hadn't even been taught SSJ3 yet!

Gotenks released a 'tsk' of annoyance.

And as if sensing his thoughts, Raditz addressed Gotenks once more. "Even if you do have immense power, it can't be helped that you lack battle experience. And it certainly doesn't help that you're far too rash and arrogant. I'm beginning to think that's a side effect of fusing."

"He's right." Piccolo cut in before Gotenks could respond, "But don't worry because I'll be more than happy to drill the importance of humility into you two. You two are still young so you wouldn't know that having power doesn't necessarily trump all - it's possible to outwit your opponents and strategies _do_ exist. If I wasn't clear before while we were training, then I'll make sure it's even clearer this time."

And at this, Gotenks groaned whilst Raditz released an amused chuckle at their expense.

For a moment, Raditz's eyes simply followed their movements, watching as Gotenks dejectedly trailed Piccolo before diverting his teal eyes onto his own kids. Marise and Taro were both keeping themselves busy with Bulma, Chi-Chi-Chi and Videl it seemed and the Saiyan couldn't help but feel guilt gnaw at him. After all, he hadn't really spent time with his kids, nor his wife for that matter, since the whole Buu ordeal but the situation at hand took priority.

Or rather, that reasoning applied to his kids. Lazuli? Not so much.

Admittingly, some time had passed since he and Lazuli spoke with one another, but he couldn't find it within himself to let go of his irritation towards her just yet. It was selfish of her to not be able to trust him when he gave her all of his trust and if she couldn't realize that, then there was no point in discussing anything with her until she did.

Though, Raditz wasn't quite sure how long that would take.

Then again, he did spot Bulma talking to Lazuli a few days ago so perhaps it wouldn't take too much longer.

"Uh, Raditz?" Tarble called out tentatively.

The Saiyan in question snapped out of his light trance, eyes flickering onto Tarble. "Something wrong?"

The smaller male blinked owlishly, uncertain as to how to respond. After all, that was certainly something he should be asking Raditz, _not_ the other way around; not to mention, it was rare for Raditz to be distracted during training.

"Actually," Tarble began slowly, as if cautiously considering his words, "I was wondering if something was wrong with you; you seem somewhat...off."

"Off, huh? Well, never mind me, I'm fine."

Of course Tarble wasn't convinced, but he knew better than to call the male out on it.

~0~

"Oh? How much longer are you two going to keep giving each other the cold shoulder?"

Lazuli's icy eyes diverted off of Raditz and onto her twin brother. The male was leaning up against the wall and regarding her stoically. " _I'm_ not the one giving the cold shoulder."

17 cocked a black brow. "Have you tried talking to him?"

The blonde bombshell shot her brother an irritated glance. "Of course I have, 17. _Obviously_ it didn't work out."

17 ignored 18's tone, not at all bothered by it; if anything, he just simply brushed it off. He knew better than to take it personal, after all. "Hm, well it's not like you two to fight for this long."

" _17._ " 18 stated simply and this time, 17 took note of her her tone - of which was laced with plenty of warning - so the black-haired male fell silent. Satisfied, 18 diverted her attention back in front of her. For a reason the blonde couldn't place, she felt even more irritated than before. How was that even possible? Sure, like 17 stated they usually didn't fight for this long, so that could potentially play a role in it...

But if it did play a role in her irritation, that certainly couldn't be _all_ of it, could it?

Honestly, 18 was just frustrated with this entire situation altogether and it all seemingly started with those nightmares before the tournament. Before then, everything had been fine. Now, it was as if things were just getting more and more out of her control and she didn't like it. Her whole life had been like that and it wasn't fair for her to get roped back into that feeling - not after she has come so far.

It was almost as if being turned into an Android against her will hadn't been bad enough; now _other things_ had to go south as well?

Besides, why was Raditz insisting that she wasn't trusting him? And why did Bulma agree with Raditz? And to make matters worse, Bulma had even compared her to Vegeta to some extent and while she hated that, Bulma did have a point. However, 18 refused to believe that she wasn't giving Raditz the trust he deserved. Granted he did take the risk of going through Saiyan mating with her, but she entrusted him with her _real_ name.

If that didn't speak volumes of her trust, then 18 didn't know what would.

~0~

"Raditz," Piccolo called out lowly, eyes diverting over to the teal-eyed male. "Did you feel that?"

"Yeah," Raditz answered back distractedly.

At Dende's panicked cry, everyone - including himself and Piccolo - stopped what they were doing immediately. After all, things hadn't been going perfectly, but things were at least at a standstill for now; however, it was clear that something terrible had happened. This was a given due to both Dende's panicked cry _and_ by the extraordinary evil and dark ki that they could feel.

It was practically radiating and if anything, it felt worse than Majin Buu's ki.

"Dende," Piccolo suddenly called out, trekking towards the smaller Namekian. "What's the situation now? I thought you said that Hercule and Majin Buu seemed to be getting along. What could possibly be happening for that to change?"

Thanks to Dende's peripheral, he could see that nearly everyone on the Lookout was crowding around out of concern; however, Dende couldn't find it within himself to take his eyes off of the situation currently going on beneath them. "Well," he began shakily, "that was the case at first, yes, but there's...there's two Majin Buu's and it looks like they're about to fight."

Krillin cocked a brow, not quite sure if he was hearing things out of context or if he just wasn't understanding; nonetheless, the former monk voiced his thoughts, "What? There's _two_ Majin Buu's?"

"Precisely," Dende responded with clenched fists. "I'm not too sure how to describe it, but simplistically, this fight boils down to Good vs. Evil."

"Wait," Yamcha called out incredulously, "Are you being serious right now?"

"Of course not," 18 answered sarcastically, her icy blue eyes staring straight ahead. She had came over to see what all of the fuss was about.

Yamcha looked taken aback by 18's sarcastic demeanor but decided to ignore it. Then again, perhaps responding back to her and ultimately dying by her hand wouldn't be as bad - not compared to the Hell that they were seemingly in for. What would become of them after the two Majin Buu's clashed? Did they even stand a chance?

"So," Videl began after some thought, purple eyes darting around. "Are we still safe here? Or should we relocate? I guess what I'm asking is...where do we go from here?"

"Well," Maron interjected thoughtfully, "if the Good Buu wins there's nothing to worry about, right?"

Videl shot Maron an incredulous look. "That's _if_ Good Buu wins, you said so yourself. Plus how do we even know if he's really good in the first place?"

"Maron, Videl's right." Ranfan agreed worriedly. Then her eyes flickered onto Gotenks and Marise and Taro before flickering back onto the others. "Besides, we have kids here with us and we obviously have to consider their safety as well."

"Naturally," Piccolo stated calmly, "but there's still a chance that, regardless of who wins, neither of them will be able to sense ki. After all, Majin Buu didn't seem able to do so, so what's to say the Evil Buu will know how to if he was to win?"

"But that's something we wouldn't know until it happens." Bulma emphasized matter-of-factly. "In other words, it'd be far too late to relocate at that point."

"Unfortunately," Master Roshi confirmed, "but it's not like we haven't been preparing."

"Hey," Yamcha butt in, "Master Roshi's right you guys. I mean we have two Saiyans here and Piccolo and 17 are pretty strong too. Not to mention, there's Gotenks. If anything, we at least have a few plans to go by, right?"

"That's true." Chi-Chi agreed. Even so, the raven-haired woman had to admit that was still pretty worried. That thing had completely ruined the tournament, took up all of Goku's time away from her and her family and even took away her Gohan. To be honest, she didn't think she could bare to lose anyone else. Now she was hearing from Dende and the others that there were two of those things? Didn't they have their hands full with just one of them?

Chi-Chi placed a hand on her forehead; it did little to curb her stress, however.

The black-haired woman exhaled softly in an attempt to get a hold of herself; though, it didn't seem to aid her much.

"Hey, Chi?" Bulma called out worriedly. "Are you okay?"

Chi-Chi offered a light smile - one that didn't reach her eyes. "I'll be fine. Don't worry about me, Bul."

Raditz, on the other hand, was 'tsking' aloud. This wasn't good. This wasn't good at all. They had been counting on the _full_ two days and this was the last thing they expected to happen. Then again, given everything else that had happened, was he a fool to not expect something else to come up? It seems like all they have been dealing with was ridiculously high hurdles one after another. His teal eyes diverted onto his kids, they were no doubt listening on and it didn't help that Marise was fairly observant for a child of her age.

He didn't want her or Taro to be exposed to things like this so soon. Hell, Goten and Trunks were only 7 and 8 respectively, yet they were exposed as well.

"Damn it," Raditz suddenly muttered, all eyes diverting onto him.

Raditz quickly diverted his eyes onto Piccolo. "I don't have a choice, do I?"

The Namekian was well aware of what Raditz meant. "No, apparently not. It looks as if we can't postpone this any further."

Tarble perked up, somewhat figuring out what the two males were referring to. "Then are we heading down there now, Raditz?"

"Yeah," Raditz answered easily, "Regardless if it's a small possibility or not, we can't allow him to set foot on this Lookout."

"In that case," 17 began, trekking forwards, "Take me with you two. At the end of the day, my energy supply is unlimited. No matter how strong that thing may be, that has to play a role in there somewhere."

"And if it doesn't?" Oolong suddenly questioned. "Then what?"

17 frowned, icy eyes narrowing in just the slightest of ways as he diverted his attention onto Oolong.

However, before 17 could even open his mouth to question what it was that Oolong was implying, it looked like that had far more important matters to tend to.

Even more so than before unfortunately.

"Oh, no!" Dende was all but exclaiming, eyes wide with fear as he stumbled back a bit. This couldn't be happening! Evil Buu won...and in a matter of seconds, too! In that case, could it really even be called a fight? And if that wasn't bad enough, at the speed he was approaching them...he'd reach the Lookout in no time. Was this seriously the end for them all?

"Dende?" Piccolo called out in alarm, eyes diverting onto the shorter Namekian. "What's going on?"

No response.

"Dende! What's happening?" Piccolo tried again; however, it was seemingly futile. Dende seemed to be completely out of it and wasn't responding whatsoever. So, fearing the worse, the taller Namekian immediately rushed to the end of the Lookout and his eyes were all but bulging not even a minute later. "N-No," Piccolo managed to get out with equally wide eyes and clenched fists. "Impossible! He's...found us!"

"Shit!" Raditz cursed, eyes diverting behind him. This couldn't be happening. Not here of all places. The long-haired Saiyan's eyes were quickly diverting back onto Piccolo once more. "Piccolo!"

"I know!" Piccolo called back, "I know this is going to sound crazy, but don't attack just yet. Not unless he attacks first, got it?!"

Raditz shot Piccolo an incredulous look. "Wha - ?"

" - Gotenks fusion isn't going to last for too much longer." Piccolo hurriedly explained. "I'd say he has about five more minutes left and he wouldn't be able to fuse again for a while, remember? Not to mention, you neither Tarble has rested since training."

"Obviously," Raditz agreed. "We weren't expecting him to arrive this early, but that doesn't mean - "

" - Just power down and trust me on this!" Piccolo interrupted.

Raditz 'tsked'. "I don't get it. Just a few minutes ago, you fully supported Tarble and I heading down there in our same conditions and now you don't want us to attack?"

"Things are different now. Back then there was the possibility of you, Tarble, and 17 retreating back to the Lookout if needed after confronting him; however, it's more than clear that Buu can sense ki. Otherwise, he wouldn't be heading for us as we speak; that changes everything and puts us at a disadvantage immediately. Not to mention, if you and Tarble fight here...who's to say what'll happen to the bystanders? What if he attacks them? And can you and Tarble fight at your full potential worrying about the others here?"

"Damn it," Raditz cursed yet again. No matter how he looked at it, Piccolo was right. If he needed to, he could see if he could convince Buu away from the Lookout, but that meant they'd have to kill him for sure. If they messed that up, then Buu would merely come back to the Lookout and all of them would perish. But surely, they - _he_ \- could do this, right? Regardless of Buu's power up?

Then, Raditz was involuntarily snapping out of his thoughts, eyes flickering up to the pink creature staring them down with a wide, fear-inducing grin; Raditz had literally _felt_ him before his eyes landed upon him. And what's more is that unlike the previous Buu, this Buu looked as evil as he felt. They weren't dealing with the childish and innocent looking Buu anymore.

The one that wanted to play around and have fun.

No, this Buu was the real deal.

Everything seemingly fell quiet and no one seemed to have the heart to move, even if they wanted to.

And it certainly didn't help that Super Buu was releasing a low, evil laugh either; it was a laugh that could easily make the hairs on one's neck stand up.

"Mama," Marise called out lowly, icy blue eyes widening fearfully as she took in their new arrival. "What's...happening? Who is...that? Why is he here?"

Super Buu's eyes diverted onto the small blonde child and Marise shrunk back immediately with a shriek, opting to hide behind her mother. Immediately, she buried herself into her mother's leg and an equally fearful Taro couldn't help but want to do the same.

If his body could move that is.

At her children's apparent fear, 18 tried to comfort them the best way she could, placing a hand on either of their heads. Then the blonde was narrowing her icy blue eyes, getting even more irritated by Buu's sinister chuckle. " _Hey,"_ 18 insisted, eyes narrowing further if possible, "cut it out already, you're scaring them."

"Uh, 18?" Krillin called out nervously, his small body trembling. How could she possibly be bold at a moment like this? Either way, Krillin couldn't help but swallow the lump that had formed in the back of his throat. "C-Can you really blame them? I mean this Buu is nothing like the other one!"

"Finally," Super Buu began with a slight rasp, "I've finally found you...now produce."

Yamcha, like many others, were taken aback, "What? Produce? What is he talking about?"

Krillin gulped. "I'm not sure I even want to know to be honest."

"I mean, it's not like I want to know either." Yamcha defended.

"I don't care what he means." Chi-Chi stated matter-of-factly, finally snapping out of her daze. "There's no way I can let my Goten fight that thing; actually, I refuse to let my Goten fight him. I mean look at what happened to my Gohan!"

"Chi-Chi," Bulma hissed nervously with wide-eyes, "do you think now is really the time for this?"

"Huh?" Chi-Chi responded, black eyes shifting onto Bulma. "What do you mean? You can't possibly want Trunks to fight that thing, do you?"

Bulma looked near offended, blue brows knitting together. "Of course, not, Chi!"

Raditz, on the other hand, 'tsked'. He decided to pay the two behind him no mind. Rather, his main concern was the being standing before them all. "Well?" Raditz addressed finally, "What the hell do you mean? Produce, what?"

Super Buu's eyes flickered onto the burly Saiyan and he grinned even more if possible. "Ahh, I remember you. Were you the one he was talking about? He promised me a good fight."

Raditz's black brows furrowed in slight confusion. What the hell?

Luckily, Piccolo was quick to catch on.

"The one that promised you a good fight must've been Goku." Piccolo pieced together.

"He lied to me." Buu stated with narrowed eyes, "Someone was supposed to come to me...to fight me, and they never showed up. Now where is the liar? Where's Goku?"

Piccolo didn't skip a beat. "Unfortunately, Goku is no longer here."

"In that case," Raditz began, trekking forwards a bit, "I'll handle th - "

Piccolo outstretched an arm in front of Raditz before he could so much as finish, his eyes still locked on Buu's eyes. If he could just buy a little time, then maybe he could turn things around in their favor a bit. " - He didn't lie to you." Piccolo insisted. "If anything, the fighters...are a little burned out right now. They could fight you, yes, but wouldn't you want to fight them at their full potential? At their best?"

Which wasn't a complete lie. By now, even though Goten and Trunks were their last resort of defeating Majin Buu, he could see out of the corner of his eyes that their fusion time was up. In other words, they wouldn't be able to fuse for a while. Then there was Raditz and Tarble. Sure, they could take on Majin Buu now, but it'd be better for both Raditz and Tarble to be at their very best.

Which was very much needed against someone like Majin Buu.

Besides, if Piccolo could get them to rest just for a little while or buy them more time to train, who knows what could happen?

Obviously, their odds of beating Majin Buu would increase.

Meanwhile, unlike the previous Buu, it seemed like this Buu was more than aware of what Piccolo was implying. After all, his eyes were all but narrowing accusingly as he took in the Namekian before him. "You're asking me to wait." Buu stated matter-of-factly. "And I hate waiting."

"Perhaps," Piccolo agreed, "but we still technically have time left. It hasn't exactly been two full days just yet and - "

" - True," Buu interrupted easily, "but I'm here _now_."

Piccolo clenched his fists, but kept calm. It would benefit them all if he could buy them some more time and at this point, Piccolo didn't care how little it was. As much as he hated to resort to this, he really had no choice.

Especially if it meant saving the world.

"Don't you get it? Wouldn't you want to test your abilities out against someone worthwhile? Besides, there's still plenty of people on Earth you can kill to pass time while you wait."

Raditz's eyes all but widened at Piccolo's words, diverting them onto the Namekian. Was he that desperate to buy time? If so, Piccolo had to have some sort of plan in mind if he was trying to manipulate Majin Buu like this. Otherwise, it'd be completely out of character for him.

"W-Wait a minute!" Dende interjected in shock, drowning out the protests of many others. "Piccolo, what are you saying?! You can't possibly mean - "

" - Be quiet, Dende!" Piccolo immediately hushed, not bothering to look at the smaller Namekian or anyone else for that matter. Maybe they wouldn't understand his methods or maybe his methods seemed cruel, but at the end of the day, he was just trying to do what he thought was best for the sake of humanity.

Even if it meant sacrificing a few lives to do so.

Surprisingly, Buu pulled away from Piccolo and began circling the Lookout.

Of course, Piccolo easily picked up on what Majin Buu was doing, but was quick to divert his eyes onto a dazed Goten and Trunks. It seemed as if they could feel the kind of monster they were dealing with perfectly well. After all, they seemed near frozen in their spots.

 _Good._

Then that meant that they understood the severity of the situation and would take things a little more seriously from here on out.

"17," Piccolo addressed quickly, "While Majin Buu isn't looking, take Goten and Trunks in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber to train. I'd rather not ask you, but Raditz can't go back in the Time Chamber and I have the feeling he's going to be needed out here...just in case."

17 was silent at first, seemingly mulling over a thing or two in his head; nonetheless, he complied. "Alright, then." His icy blue eyes diverted onto the two boys, "Let's go."

"R-Right." Trunks agreed, trailing after the male with Goten right on his heels.

"18," Raditz called out lowly, his black eyes diverting onto her, "You and the twins go inside. You two do the same as well, Chi-Chi. Bulma."

18's eyes widened, "And for you?"

"I'll be fine." Raditz dismissed and then upon noticing that Buu was coming back, his eyes widened. "Now, hurry, 18."

The blonde complied with her husband's wishes, retreating inside along side Bulma and Chi-Chi. Wordlessly, his eyes trailed after their forms - as if to make sure they were doing as asked of him - then they flickered back onto Majin Buu.

Raditz's eyes were widening the second he did so, however.

 _Wait a minute._

He wasn't circling around the Lookout anymore?

"I'm finished." Buu stated with a grin, eyes diverting onto Piccolo as he encased himself with a massive amount of pink ki; then he was raising a hand to the blue skies and presenting his palm to the clouds above. Near instantaneously, as if preparing itself for what to come, the blue skies quickly darkened before the eyes of all.

"Uh...I don't think I like I look of this." Krillin managed to get out.

"I have to agree with you on that," Master Roshi stated. "This isn't looking too good at all."

Yamcha blinked owlishly. "Just...what does he think he's doing, anyway? Is he going to kill us?"

"Produce." Buu muttered with a grin, proceeding to fire out what had to be _countless_ pink ki blasts from a palm - all the more standing completely still in one spot. And at this point, everyone realized what Majin Buu was doing.

He had taken Piccolo's words to heart and was eradicating all human life on Earth.

"Looks like you're plan backfired. At this rate, he'll be finished in no time." Raditz stated pointedly. "Now, what?"

Piccolo clenched his fists, guilt coursing through him. "I know, but we can always wish them back with the Dragon Balls. I won't fail them with that at least."

Raditz said nothing in response, instead his eyes flickered back onto Majin Buu - whom eventually finished his human extinction attack - and just as Raditz suspected, it didn't take him long at all.

"No more humans left." Buu stated pointedly, trekking towards Piccolo."So produce the strong ones now."

Piccolo swallowed hard, but managed to keep his composure. "Like I said, we still have time left, but if you could at least give us an hour...you won't be disappointed."

Buu's grin dipped slightly. "An hour? What's an hour? How long is it?"

"This - " Piccolo summoned a huge hour glass in a matter of seconds before setting it down before Majin Buu - "is an hour. Once all of the sand falls to the bottom, you'll be done."

And at first, Majin Buu silently observed the hour glass before frowning and diverting his eyes back onto Piccolo's. "No way. I'm not waiting."

Videl 'tsked'. "What's the matter? Is one measly hour too much for you?"

From beside her, Oolong paled. Seriously, what was up with the women these days? Were they all like this?

Buu, on the other hand, was far from amused, his eyes narrowing. "What was that? Are you challenging me?"

Videl's eyes widened, but she didn't back down. The purple-eyed woman had all but slid into her fighting stance; if it was a fight he wanted, then he would get one.

"W-Wait!" Piccolo quickly insisted, pointing at Videl. "That girl is _Hercule's_ daughter. She's the one asking for the hour...not us! Afterwards, your opponent will be ready for you."

Buu kept his eyes on Videl, seemingly checking out Piccolo's story. Then, as if confirming that Piccolo was right, Majin Buu was all but sitting down before the hour glass. "Fine. I'll wait an hour. After that, every one dies."

The Namekian looked taken aback - seemingly surprised that he finally got through to the creature. Nonetheless, Piccolo was quickly motioning for the others to follow him back to where 18, the twins, and Bulma and Chi-Chi were.

"I can't believe you pulled it off." Raditz muttered once they finally regrouped.

"Me neither," Piccolo admitted honestly, "but this gives the boys time to train in the Time Chamber with 17 and it gives you and Tarble time to recover some stamina, so it's a win-win for now. You two have been training pretty intensively, so you two need a break more than ever."

"Unless he gets bored." Raditz pointed out with a cocked brow. "Do you really think he'll sit there for an hour?"

"Well, in the event that that happens, we'll deal with that accordingly."

"If you say so," Raditz dismissed. "If he does manages to wait that long, then Tarble and I can simply lead him away from the Lookout tower. I'll tell him I'll only fight him if he relocates. Since he wants a fight so bad, he shouldn't have any complaints."

"Perhaps," Piccolo agreed, "but if it's anything we learned so far, it's that we need to be prepared for things not going our way. He said so himself that he was going to kill everyone after the hour is up, so you may have to force him away from the Lookout."

Raditz nodded in agreement. "That could potentially happen, too, but if that's what I have to do...I'll do it by any means necessary."

"Chi-Chi!" A voice could be heard crying out. "Wait, what are you doing?"

Chi-Chi ignored Bulma, swiftly making her way towards Majin Buu. This was the thing that took her Gohan away. This whole ordeal - everything that had happened was _his_ fault. The raven-haired woman clenched her fists, stopping directly before Majin Buu.

"Hey, you - " Chi-Chi had no problems slapping the pink creature as hard as she could - "you have some nerve!"

Raditz's eyes widened immediately at the sight. "Chi-Chi! What the hell does she think she's doing?!" Then the long-haired Saiyan was clenching his fist, "Damn it, Chi."

Irritated, the long-haired Saiyan began making his way towards the raven-haired woman.

Her black eyes diverted onto her brother-in-law. "What?! It's his fault this is happening! All of it!"

"Do you like eggs?"

Chi-Chi cocked a brow, diverting her attention off of her approaching brother-in-law and onto Super Buu. It was such an odd question that she had to find out what he meant by it _and_ she had all but temporarily forgot about her pent up anger. Not to mention she hadn't even heard what Raditz said in response to her words.

Unfortunately, Majin Buu wasn't going to give her time to figure it out.

"Wha - ?"

Especially since Super Buu was quickly moving his antenna towards Chi-Chi and encasing the small woman with his transfiguration beam in a matter of seconds. The whole process had happened so quickly, Chi-Chi literally barely had time to finish her sentence. Instead, the Ox-King's daughter was releasing a pained scream as her body involuntarily morphed into that of a egg before the eyes of everyone looking on with wide eyes and a open mouth.

And just when everyone thought it couldn't get any worse, Super Buu had all but lifted up a foot and stepped on it without an ounce of remorse of hesitation.

Chi-Chi was gone, just like Gohan.

"Huh?" Raditz managed to get out in disbelief, halting in his tracks with wide eyes as he stared at the yolk aside Buu's foot. Did Buu seriously just kill...her? Had he seriously allowed one of his own to die before his eyes again?

"You..." Raditz muttered, his black eyes turning teal - his eyes were all but flickering up from the spot Chi-Chi had just been at mere moments ago to Buu's sickening grin. "You'll pay for this!"


End file.
